tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44618694542023081682024-03-13T23:16:56.019-07:00The Command ZoneThaumaturgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07734372825472901455noreply@blogger.comBlogger380125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461869454202308168.post-68188802521260889072023-11-13T20:44:00.000-08:002023-11-14T18:37:05.388-08:00LCI (Commander) EDH Set Review<p></p><p> Okay, we're in the final stretch here. Today we're looking at the new commanders and cards from the LCI Commander precons. This will be a long one, so strap in.</p><p></p><p>First up, let's see the commanders of each deck. <br /></p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRwNsv7YrH32KGh1iTUnXM5YWaAiQ87wvYdExqwSRBKxMJWH6v9syJzH4o_l6bLGyKmAGOvcPfVclI-Y4qZYAMe5z3H9IaeMUe6D_feM8xGX4nDm2M0YqSpQgTv9xoDj2ZyvNduoe856foqdWfptrV8VpBKn13AXLSWkz2hFZLx6MyBmZfmaxHG1yWGR8/s936/lcc-1-admiral-brass-unsinkable.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRwNsv7YrH32KGh1iTUnXM5YWaAiQ87wvYdExqwSRBKxMJWH6v9syJzH4o_l6bLGyKmAGOvcPfVclI-Y4qZYAMe5z3H9IaeMUe6D_feM8xGX4nDm2M0YqSpQgTv9xoDj2ZyvNduoe856foqdWfptrV8VpBKn13AXLSWkz2hFZLx6MyBmZfmaxHG1yWGR8/s320/lcc-1-admiral-brass-unsinkable.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Right off the bat, I feel like Brass and Don Andres below got effect-swapped. Again there is probably a story reason I don't know about, but I feel like the ressurection effect should go on the Vampire guy and the theft-related effects should go on the Human Pirate. But that aside, neither of these new Legends gets my blood pumping to build that Pirate tribal deck, so I will continue to wait and let WotC cook. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQWESOYFLCh3_pxgeUSSDP_v0ZYvxMcIC8BuJWuLvSxujqKwEbTvVKxgxNL56Vy4kEgTY0gKOx1FYq4OoicnZOgghfoHc4VrWQXwSDUaxiOTV14DxCkFyMiAWgwCPkPSWI1naI_xMoPZM3yiMee1lpOY9QDC9wCa2gsUy7L3SfaE5cksqbQGw-7GhUhB8/s936/lcc-6-don-andres-the-renegade.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQWESOYFLCh3_pxgeUSSDP_v0ZYvxMcIC8BuJWuLvSxujqKwEbTvVKxgxNL56Vy4kEgTY0gKOx1FYq4OoicnZOgghfoHc4VrWQXwSDUaxiOTV14DxCkFyMiAWgwCPkPSWI1naI_xMoPZM3yiMee1lpOY9QDC9wCa2gsUy7L3SfaE5cksqbQGw-7GhUhB8/s320/lcc-6-don-andres-the-renegade.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><p>Again, this is cool, but just doesn't spark that urge to build within me. Keep trying. WotC!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ZmbYjqPsVq3jIhtX-xygNrWw3iluM-1SPJKVOOQzyFeKCLIlUZv__lwL5wlt5phaw_rddeZefduzb8V_zMDDAuoQz4WBkzPxMwkJL_GBOUQ0Jd_Lv1XOEzWHutz6PZ7r7XZ09pRNEB8RkmFp_c9kpn_TuZOwqAe3JJ5LoYDByrc23Y1_zDA8WxAMJY0/s936/lcc-2-clavileno-first-of-the-blessed.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ZmbYjqPsVq3jIhtX-xygNrWw3iluM-1SPJKVOOQzyFeKCLIlUZv__lwL5wlt5phaw_rddeZefduzb8V_zMDDAuoQz4WBkzPxMwkJL_GBOUQ0Jd_Lv1XOEzWHutz6PZ7r7XZ09pRNEB8RkmFp_c9kpn_TuZOwqAe3JJ5LoYDByrc23Y1_zDA8WxAMJY0/s320/lcc-2-clavileno-first-of-the-blessed.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Whatever else I might say to this guy's credit, he's still nowhere near as cool as Amalia Benavides Aguirre. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuTpvbOQwDrisR3DLpXEpHmXaZ3_1HrFUmIQug5lEeonVRj2TrB__xDxmK_dr8DrwI6T_IkMAAoNaoIxP8HpT22saJsVR0CwmcbmBPfLFszf8HU3Y2aimSaoAQZNnVzDUCSd80whiS335bfmWpayay_mGFHueeq7TuqB0Uux8IyCZBCdbNC4dewmnVq4Q/s936/lcc-5-carmen-cruel-skymarcher.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuTpvbOQwDrisR3DLpXEpHmXaZ3_1HrFUmIQug5lEeonVRj2TrB__xDxmK_dr8DrwI6T_IkMAAoNaoIxP8HpT22saJsVR0CwmcbmBPfLFszf8HU3Y2aimSaoAQZNnVzDUCSd80whiS335bfmWpayay_mGFHueeq7TuqB0Uux8IyCZBCdbNC4dewmnVq4Q/s320/lcc-5-carmen-cruel-skymarcher.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Again, just completely outclassed by Amalia. But, gorgeous artwork and an interesting build-around in its own right. Still as much as I like the creative approach this and Clavileno take, I'm just all-in for Amalia.<p></p><p><br /> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVbVMdahoYq6EthtuEnKPuIf73RX4U-g6hIdsTRy1-3__XviG4NUYD7FxBNGnlayHbOFUAkNo8MIvePuC_Nu8hQeaf-seSDEq8I1nN58q-49hxYrudmw3QDtkk26nS_Xpmx4ktevM9o18UqBjZm9SPYPrN2V09ON0labRKNDCdoxaYGFGVHCwTYSUryVg/s936/lcc-3-hakbal-of-the-surging-soul.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVbVMdahoYq6EthtuEnKPuIf73RX4U-g6hIdsTRy1-3__XviG4NUYD7FxBNGnlayHbOFUAkNo8MIvePuC_Nu8hQeaf-seSDEq8I1nN58q-49hxYrudmw3QDtkk26nS_Xpmx4ktevM9o18UqBjZm9SPYPrN2V09ON0labRKNDCdoxaYGFGVHCwTYSUryVg/s320/lcc-3-hakbal-of-the-surging-soul.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Okay we have a winner here, this time. As much as I loved the U/W Merrow of Llorwyn, this Hakbal guy seems absolutely busted as a Fish commander. He's very Simic and very powerful, yet in a much less obnoxious way than the typical pushed Simic Mythic guys we usually get. I'm extremely motivated to build this one.<br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ZiPbzwVKXKngy5UVGhO_aonWrqAyPMoeUDtqlT3OppgNy-3mb47_ulQqXk643VHFDZUQ68Q48mAgL1FZJYUXiKWOmvUVIFSTVU-08KhyoKFVyXX5ToPkaiWkIqA4LAdtFNk9ysdCmSkZMFXVwvkgn5lK1MXt6FPMGD2ofpMMH7SC3Ej7a0OPCRz-KvY/s936/lcc-8-xolatoyac-the-smiling-flood.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ZiPbzwVKXKngy5UVGhO_aonWrqAyPMoeUDtqlT3OppgNy-3mb47_ulQqXk643VHFDZUQ68Q48mAgL1FZJYUXiKWOmvUVIFSTVU-08KhyoKFVyXX5ToPkaiWkIqA4LAdtFNk9ysdCmSkZMFXVwvkgn5lK1MXt6FPMGD2ofpMMH7SC3Ej7a0OPCRz-KvY/s320/lcc-8-xolatoyac-the-smiling-flood.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><p>On one hand I appreciate that this guy isn't just another busted Simic ramp/draw commander, but on the other, it just seems <i>bad</i>. I definitely could be missing something. It does synergize with Explore; I caught that interaction, I just don't think it's very meaningful. Whatever, this thing bores me. It's a cute lil guy though.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzKitD_KDvz9QyY0f63ruKOppTdWzXtS0GUcHVhvX7oE8GIe8ZgLUprM4n0Q1ijQc0DmYD_1rqK7a_0j-uVfR2RfTg_wrkCG4f6Mo9BaS1blCpzGm7qWkMfD8e3SxNN4assnIRnsLy_Fd5vmwu65K2mnc-lU_tmYvzLXwQUTYDAJZL7eEMB4ULn1803xc/s936/lcc-4-pantlaza-sun-favored.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzKitD_KDvz9QyY0f63ruKOppTdWzXtS0GUcHVhvX7oE8GIe8ZgLUprM4n0Q1ijQc0DmYD_1rqK7a_0j-uVfR2RfTg_wrkCG4f6Mo9BaS1blCpzGm7qWkMfD8e3SxNN4assnIRnsLy_Fd5vmwu65K2mnc-lU_tmYvzLXwQUTYDAJZL7eEMB4ULn1803xc/s320/lcc-4-pantlaza-sun-favored.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>I appreciate that Gishath and Zacama have their fans, and deservedly so, but this is the Dino commander that really speaks to my soul. You all know of my deep and abiding love of Maelstrom Wanderer, so it should come as no surprise that I'd gravitate to this dude. I can't wait to build Pantslaser the Dino-Gacha.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnnI7JMS2Soe_MpB3AvmsYOhujuBJ6mLjCzPR1taHGsdppqhDlc5MPwELZctss_kblgiL14GzN16YckfEeSIdAQHCb80vUfTrevwOmN8VakMt7hntSuE409NRCGvNV389MNxEGquyBxzIl9akZz8dIvrWmaAVYF_kVmE1cCyp9VDw5iuYW4gD89Nc-0pI/s936/lcc-7-wayta-trainer-prodigy.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnnI7JMS2Soe_MpB3AvmsYOhujuBJ6mLjCzPR1taHGsdppqhDlc5MPwELZctss_kblgiL14GzN16YckfEeSIdAQHCb80vUfTrevwOmN8VakMt7hntSuE409NRCGvNV389MNxEGquyBxzIl9akZz8dIvrWmaAVYF_kVmE1cCyp9VDw5iuYW4gD89Nc-0pI/s320/lcc-7-wayta-trainer-prodigy.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><p>I was very confused by this card until I remembered that Enrage exists. Definitely made specifically for that niche. Fine for those that were waiting on an Enrage commander, I suppose. Not my bag, so I don't really know if it's actually good or not. Too hyped for Pants anyway so let's move on.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p>These next two aren't in the precons, as their color identities don't even fit the four decks we're getting, so I have no idea where/how you get them but they are legendary creatures so we'll talk about them as commanders anyway.</p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihGYc1ca84vSpKQ_pIwq6mLnzVZx_qTpFlK79GSjVzuapc9B43U9-AGHxIfaQuBXjHMAO2ka9mFf516hEhhrM8uPjuI-O8DIkMsSrWDbmxtBNQnPGIyeL-k-FYlm8PdYj4bADDHWZ3DgxAbxiqLi5WFZv_q-huumnXOkU2beePP1efx1pLD3uaW4Glxs8/s936/lcc-14-xavier-sal-infested-captain.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihGYc1ca84vSpKQ_pIwq6mLnzVZx_qTpFlK79GSjVzuapc9B43U9-AGHxIfaQuBXjHMAO2ka9mFf516hEhhrM8uPjuI-O8DIkMsSrWDbmxtBNQnPGIyeL-k-FYlm8PdYj4bADDHWZ3DgxAbxiqLi5WFZv_q-huumnXOkU2beePP1efx1pLD3uaW4Glxs8/s320/lcc-14-xavier-sal-infested-captain.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Why the hell is this not in Abzan instead? I have very specifically been wishing for a card that both populates and proliferates, but the intersection of those two abilities BY FAR fits the Abzan wedge better than it does Sultai. I have no idea what to do with this in Sultai but I practically have the list already built in Abzan. Ugh. What a nightmare.<p></p><p><br /> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5P4P1CDupuojOHbQKTBlK7-Le_qgzp-DHSRQvjmfX-Rhd6dHXAUA0J9-hF_8Whyz-HgVhuVAHoZJY10MYciUuVE78W7lcdohHPjG-LAWBN2O6UZsxBX6C95oPoJQE261r7JAKJsGcTf6igW7u9xIKfqnWyhfUKUkoAYetltBYuBPPj9NKTnMXFkDhDQ/s936/lcc-13-tetzin-gnome-champion.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5P4P1CDupuojOHbQKTBlK7-Le_qgzp-DHSRQvjmfX-Rhd6dHXAUA0J9-hF_8Whyz-HgVhuVAHoZJY10MYciUuVE78W7lcdohHPjG-LAWBN2O6UZsxBX6C95oPoJQE261r7JAKJsGcTf6igW7u9xIKfqnWyhfUKUkoAYetltBYuBPPj9NKTnMXFkDhDQ/s320/lcc-13-tetzin-gnome-champion.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><p>I completely forgot this idiot had a back side, but it's too much of a pain in the ass to fix it now. Also I just hate this card anyway so I just don't see the need to put that bit of effort in if I'm just going to say "thank you, next" and move the fuck on.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Alright, now to the non-Legend stuff.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSp810rukmaDcRzr5TQF5CZTKKcJjnsLZcgNzX93kjPp5_Sh07YVKVk8wuw72aqMIHwcSvxYD80O97LNMtUx0e6ZWeYpOMF3-Zk23ETOVUPqclM9-JnolqAkhonTZAkX-metnI0yali7OLAf0orB_5A6MvcA8_qWBbjBV2UqRJmZt40M7bpxSuBQD38wA/s936/lcc-9-illustrious-wanderglyph.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSp810rukmaDcRzr5TQF5CZTKKcJjnsLZcgNzX93kjPp5_Sh07YVKVk8wuw72aqMIHwcSvxYD80O97LNMtUx0e6ZWeYpOMF3-Zk23ETOVUPqclM9-JnolqAkhonTZAkX-metnI0yali7OLAf0orB_5A6MvcA8_qWBbjBV2UqRJmZt40M7bpxSuBQD38wA/s320/lcc-9-illustrious-wanderglyph.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Five mana 2/2? Yikes! Oh, wait, this is a color-swapped Tendershoot Dryad. Alright then, this seems fine actually. Probably quite good, even. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV06ETizEtbresiUi8WudlXM9TEJJ_cpKXdeQ1cUsYGglgyRg5fn6uifGH_U_MmGqer1M-0R2ELL580MYDVg12NNCmnj7Z3sPXY6RwI2u7qW5KsU_LjA4ry2uHtxaDpHTEnnx0nT-SMkKw-ydjeilx6jW0xMOZPZP2vhRz0Y-fZAIGFe_m3M9BYCFs2B4/s1344/lcc-10-altar-of-the-wretched.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="1344" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV06ETizEtbresiUi8WudlXM9TEJJ_cpKXdeQ1cUsYGglgyRg5fn6uifGH_U_MmGqer1M-0R2ELL580MYDVg12NNCmnj7Z3sPXY6RwI2u7qW5KsU_LjA4ry2uHtxaDpHTEnnx0nT-SMkKw-ydjeilx6jW0xMOZPZP2vhRz0Y-fZAIGFe_m3M9BYCFs2B4/w400-h279/lcc-10-altar-of-the-wretched.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>More DFC hell. I don't really like DFCs much. This one is neat, but I'm probably not going to play it. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBkYPNoLvCIhejwM2Ab8Q0SUdEIuMcaLolYj6vzsuJGY4MGE_6lxJVn0wbhVBdMzzwEfvxcJO6fh9K9Z6pk_xAxzmd86eijpOr1Y_AOiNzMVZwxa7C_jYrSPAeISLbqbkdHJjtWSIQ1RVQ1xZ0HcL1YDtUOhFVpCgd3TN7Hn4MqKuqVrkEYrMc3ybddg/s1344/lcc-11-ore-rich-stalactite.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="1344" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBkYPNoLvCIhejwM2Ab8Q0SUdEIuMcaLolYj6vzsuJGY4MGE_6lxJVn0wbhVBdMzzwEfvxcJO6fh9K9Z6pk_xAxzmd86eijpOr1Y_AOiNzMVZwxa7C_jYrSPAeISLbqbkdHJjtWSIQ1RVQ1xZ0HcL1YDtUOhFVpCgd3TN7Hn4MqKuqVrkEYrMc3ybddg/w400-h279/lcc-11-ore-rich-stalactite.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Same as above. Cute design, but not really my style.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-KpgAy1XGcPwF0ZcLzmUq82EtI1PHUjT9H2RmhfdsRFxKJUFm-UhxQQuzYrBaP8DMvfFSa4vPvFzlvQkQmogFeFzARI0dakRY26qWf-HALO0aswaDosFrfvgbqbqIKaf8YVuWSVycLD1ySNK-hSJRJIC1ElX4auu-aTKkiOIau1tBk-_ogRn-3kPxdo/s936/lcc-12-contest-of-claws.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-KpgAy1XGcPwF0ZcLzmUq82EtI1PHUjT9H2RmhfdsRFxKJUFm-UhxQQuzYrBaP8DMvfFSa4vPvFzlvQkQmogFeFzARI0dakRY26qWf-HALO0aswaDosFrfvgbqbqIKaf8YVuWSVycLD1ySNK-hSJRJIC1ElX4auu-aTKkiOIau1tBk-_ogRn-3kPxdo/s320/lcc-12-contest-of-claws.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Pretty good Rabid Bite variant. Feels more like an uncommon to me, but whatever. Rarity is kinda arbitrary in these precon decks anyway. Great removal option for green decks with massive commanders - if your guy is 6 power or better you almost certainly want to give this a try.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw43qHTZsopN9s2_bT5-xkRmcfrjSZBfUYwjo-NxilJetUKK91ZyZ2GxiBekpSgPRZGu1DkVdEPD90FINR67VpcTaYkFx3Y78dI6kZKgo-xG2KKnpvsmNzQbO7z5p-NYJ9sze3PhP4N-5TiAVd3XOYtq9k1IzI33tLl-pwciSay8fuzXGw1SG_cCDYhbs/s936/lcc-69-bronzebeak-foragers.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw43qHTZsopN9s2_bT5-xkRmcfrjSZBfUYwjo-NxilJetUKK91ZyZ2GxiBekpSgPRZGu1DkVdEPD90FINR67VpcTaYkFx3Y78dI6kZKgo-xG2KKnpvsmNzQbO7z5p-NYJ9sze3PhP4N-5TiAVd3XOYtq9k1IzI33tLl-pwciSay8fuzXGw1SG_cCDYhbs/s320/lcc-69-bronzebeak-foragers.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><p>Grasp of Fate as a dinosaur. Great discover hit off Pantlaza, which is obviously what it was designed to be. Probably less exciting for the other big Dino commanders, but still probably a welcome bit of on-theme removal.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh58Paok1R03BKzV0PDRXImWwjFSJ7TueGIE3IQ_GylnoGqWup4XZf1Y_1lu8VNWgq-SAoqYNqhzROkxELuVZDGJ2ne7AzTjkuyBKglpA2mMGB430NOo79TSMj8BM-BvdIGrmR6tThDtAHRFEkDo08pzxUWpFGnhbtq3MLMogDwgwJ1ShQK323ULNMLoZs/s936/lcc-70-charismatic-conqueror.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh58Paok1R03BKzV0PDRXImWwjFSJ7TueGIE3IQ_GylnoGqWup4XZf1Y_1lu8VNWgq-SAoqYNqhzROkxELuVZDGJ2ne7AzTjkuyBKglpA2mMGB430NOo79TSMj8BM-BvdIGrmR6tThDtAHRFEkDo08pzxUWpFGnhbtq3MLMogDwgwJ1ShQK323ULNMLoZs/s320/lcc-70-charismatic-conqueror.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>I'm not sure about this one. Putting the choice into your opponents' hands is usually bad and while sometimes a card like this will break "the Browbeat Curse" and be playable, but I don't think this is one such card. I mean I <i>might </i>play this in Edgar for tempo reasons, but I'm far from sold.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV5TloqE7Tk7qQ8lY_ujq-NGfEp0J0sm0xxuoV2ytTO1X1-1SSsCYIDl8MoP1BTAY5BZllWD4Ue-wzc9Ywvw3uaXGzXGdtmxsegyjpw_5uijw_LnJyyrRxd24xFeSwfRCUOtFbIFdR3aMZ0mE2skzAZ1xe3-_TcadCnfEpGckIwi9bWZxLYfhLPLvbKq4/s936/lcc-71-elenda-s-hierophant.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV5TloqE7Tk7qQ8lY_ujq-NGfEp0J0sm0xxuoV2ytTO1X1-1SSsCYIDl8MoP1BTAY5BZllWD4Ue-wzc9Ywvw3uaXGzXGdtmxsegyjpw_5uijw_LnJyyrRxd24xFeSwfRCUOtFbIFdR3aMZ0mE2skzAZ1xe3-_TcadCnfEpGckIwi9bWZxLYfhLPLvbKq4/s320/lcc-71-elenda-s-hierophant.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><p>Aight, this one seems far better. I don't think most Edgar Markov lists have quite enough lifegain sources to really make this work, but in Orzhov Vampire lists (like my girl Amalia!), I think this is far more likely to perform.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis8nSFM1mH2Vn7hgvSsn2A6Tw0hjq9jSeCxuI8F0vxbb4Txn2M9iE4W4nXtrmv0Ou1jjRMmKNi3HpGn1pDxncfQEoE2eXGEHPaF9lUUkGwkfSlUiBbSeiR7bzWspqd26gK-J6wxCd3t3G0vDm82e4LJkt30GJ9an51p9Ho0R2_bKQrGtIuvYY7wcOsYiE/s936/lcc-72-from-the-rubble.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis8nSFM1mH2Vn7hgvSsn2A6Tw0hjq9jSeCxuI8F0vxbb4Txn2M9iE4W4nXtrmv0Ou1jjRMmKNi3HpGn1pDxncfQEoE2eXGEHPaF9lUUkGwkfSlUiBbSeiR7bzWspqd26gK-J6wxCd3t3G0vDm82e4LJkt30GJ9an51p9Ho0R2_bKQrGtIuvYY7wcOsYiE/s320/lcc-72-from-the-rubble.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><p>I mentioned I hated finality counters but I'll reiterate the point here. Because that aspect, plus the tribal restriction, AND the restriction to pilfering your own graveyard alone just makes this look pathetic next to even Debtor's Knell or Virtue of Persistance. Of course if you're in mono-White and playing a tribal archetype, this is kinda the best you can do. Still a stinker, though.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu7TQCyfwnAONM6qt06heEyAZTKVvj_9qk1FkSmCsrZJbiUy4kPkMuYCOmFkzrWhe9qGsEWOmN9abesSlv54OKbd8P3LNvcd98ZZxem5DQ1i29geIarWLpBC1KBTsRTaDFHwh6u_-3H3mWY7VUkn-s84fwj8SeHk96LkmPdx5wTUsJ_Y_m58Y8IHJ6fOA/s936/lcc-73-march-of-the-canonized.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu7TQCyfwnAONM6qt06heEyAZTKVvj_9qk1FkSmCsrZJbiUy4kPkMuYCOmFkzrWhe9qGsEWOmN9abesSlv54OKbd8P3LNvcd98ZZxem5DQ1i29geIarWLpBC1KBTsRTaDFHwh6u_-3H3mWY7VUkn-s84fwj8SeHk96LkmPdx5wTUsJ_Y_m58Y8IHJ6fOA/s320/lcc-73-march-of-the-canonized.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><p>Weird use of devotion but cool design. I think you mainly play this just to make a bunch of Vampire tokens, but if you happen to get the Devotion effect that's just a bonus. Definitely would play in Orzhov vamps, but probably not Edgar Markov. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8INJRptHP1vzux2GxWbz-verGzemhP7oYL77vxbJ4thKe_52Im8UZhWY2UbvonM7sdrQjQWYVNj8vD1lQqUOA-vHfthJy31PhnFk4wqfSm1qyZ3ZJPo_eJ3cBHL5y691yx1jPEhDst7ObmcoUZSMfNgQ8TBptOrMfJVigxu4sKkITaQasMVfH2tCi0ls/s936/lcc-74-redemption-choir.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8INJRptHP1vzux2GxWbz-verGzemhP7oYL77vxbJ4thKe_52Im8UZhWY2UbvonM7sdrQjQWYVNj8vD1lQqUOA-vHfthJy31PhnFk4wqfSm1qyZ3ZJPo_eJ3cBHL5y691yx1jPEhDst7ObmcoUZSMfNgQ8TBptOrMfJVigxu4sKkITaQasMVfH2tCi0ls/s320/lcc-74-redemption-choir.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>More surprised to see Coven here than I was Devotion on the card above, but I guess it makes sense. Worth noting this is not mechanically tied to vampire decks in any way, so you can just use it wherever you think you can reliably get that trigger. So, like, redundancy for Alesha, perhaps? Neat card, but possibly not as reliable as one might hope. Karmic Guide is probably better in most cases.<br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdOW3tN_pTHeQ_1fpAOiuVMF5HyGJERkul7g-DRnmQ0aDctjxKxBGkzV7Envdwub17Y1wJvGwwrJaAQtNZV8HakDG2YhW_Tcqp7dOc7M3U_VBC4gJlI1_BZkGhIkVnULTcKn9e70Ojl8U-jIRnT3kU-38mv8dkmh19yeX9dqUhqZhSw0XDLhRigjgW3zw/s936/lcc-75-the-indomitable.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdOW3tN_pTHeQ_1fpAOiuVMF5HyGJERkul7g-DRnmQ0aDctjxKxBGkzV7Envdwub17Y1wJvGwwrJaAQtNZV8HakDG2YhW_Tcqp7dOc7M3U_VBC4gJlI1_BZkGhIkVnULTcKn9e70Ojl8U-jIRnT3kU-38mv8dkmh19yeX9dqUhqZhSw0XDLhRigjgW3zw/s320/lcc-75-the-indomitable.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Here's a Vehicle I'm not all that jazzed about. It's certainly spicy, and is obviously a massive upgrade over Coastal Piracy, but it's very much a take or leave it card, in my opinion, unless you're running it for thematic reasons. So in a Pirate deck, sure this is great, but for most other archetypes I'll just stick with Bident of Thassa.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9N44M8GMD9bUZmxUAbiQmHn_j5NaYOIoDUu-UxGlo0ur504qdgPebZHxjQkcEMVY4aVi3JwvSjGRlY-aZ8fSljK6lXKsJFodUJoAI2_5-vXn6HeSR_LmN4wP2mFRQmHbANPvhz3WIePly3xggZPqF7l3ptHhBl_Wuv2LeXygd5-_bqRVriQl_JecXxPI/s936/lcc-76-mist-dancer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9N44M8GMD9bUZmxUAbiQmHn_j5NaYOIoDUu-UxGlo0ur504qdgPebZHxjQkcEMVY4aVi3JwvSjGRlY-aZ8fSljK6lXKsJFodUJoAI2_5-vXn6HeSR_LmN4wP2mFRQmHbANPvhz3WIePly3xggZPqF7l3ptHhBl_Wuv2LeXygd5-_bqRVriQl_JecXxPI/s320/lcc-76-mist-dancer.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Your merfolk army suddenly all taking to the skies can certainly catch an opponent with their pants down. Encore is a nice touch, too, as this is sure to be a prime removal magnet. I like it. It's not mind-blowing, but it's certainly solid.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioKI74V80990xv8SJFsvbmhyphenhyphenzwiz8xZkrShlBbhEX5Q0F3y6I26MwFldwUjVjHvzE8IIh5mvUBXM1G1X9XSoxQyam5JbYd2qyvxYw9N7IC09qAAk-1Yud9u6YtGMewcfxUyKak-_Mb4-mdQ7pZu6euSAaTgj4XpN0uq1Xp7j3ve79GOHmPmwCyOoVASCw/s936/lcc-77-ripples-of-potential.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioKI74V80990xv8SJFsvbmhyphenhyphenzwiz8xZkrShlBbhEX5Q0F3y6I26MwFldwUjVjHvzE8IIh5mvUBXM1G1X9XSoxQyam5JbYd2qyvxYw9N7IC09qAAk-1Yud9u6YtGMewcfxUyKak-_Mb4-mdQ7pZu6euSAaTgj4XpN0uq1Xp7j3ve79GOHmPmwCyOoVASCw/s320/lcc-77-ripples-of-potential.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>This is going to be SO annoying in planeswalker-heavy builds. I loathe it already.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX4ADlpGWj9UWD5t0DlDT5OkIPiAH4GriHp6Jn0VmExviN5JYQ5HrUaCoxQ0Rh-2hWd-HLrCpJyWFSN2Fx9wBZ4p4JmWGgrtSHSMdPG1GnbIT13847Dd36nX7N7ZV2LEXjq76J2eE1Ame5tLgN4_T3EC3ePW6Gh7MKXBjC5pKfsnSrcpZHL4D8_b4dm4c/s936/lcc-78-storm-fleet-negotiator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX4ADlpGWj9UWD5t0DlDT5OkIPiAH4GriHp6Jn0VmExviN5JYQ5HrUaCoxQ0Rh-2hWd-HLrCpJyWFSN2Fx9wBZ4p4JmWGgrtSHSMdPG1GnbIT13847Dd36nX7N7ZV2LEXjq76J2eE1Ame5tLgN4_T3EC3ePW6Gh7MKXBjC5pKfsnSrcpZHL4D8_b4dm4c/s320/lcc-78-storm-fleet-negotiator.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>I kinda like Parley. Well, I like Selvala. Okay, I like it when one of my opponents is playing Selvala. This just seems really "meh" though. I don't see a compelling use case for this.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjE-10FQA1dFMvGEqVxsZloSZSwykuFtbF2P63vYn5XVK7SGCjvIGJ1arEEC0QmKA6a5Z5fohoKQpU6BmImqIwCqgE4Odm0kypB1HlxPsU-6Fjp6VK0oqwf94bmzZ2Bk21FpOFkV7kfD6qaCMm8fuSEF5lkRL9NLOWEpcLr1hORU5PbtEHAF3voq0qeQ/s936/lcc-79-wave-goodbye.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjE-10FQA1dFMvGEqVxsZloSZSwykuFtbF2P63vYn5XVK7SGCjvIGJ1arEEC0QmKA6a5Z5fohoKQpU6BmImqIwCqgE4Odm0kypB1HlxPsU-6Fjp6VK0oqwf94bmzZ2Bk21FpOFkV7kfD6qaCMm8fuSEF5lkRL9NLOWEpcLr1hORU5PbtEHAF3voq0qeQ/s320/lcc-79-wave-goodbye.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>LOL, this is probably the best pun name I've seen WotC make in ages. Kudos. Solid card, but like Whelming Wave and similar cards we've seen, this is great if it fits the theme you're doing, not so great otherwise. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3JGh5LuZMspA76WWq9-F661ke3z3jLQoWntABqCdvF6aD0-1rwyNjh_uALPi0AY3FJaap0mRjHLuf3Xi_uSIuwYZ2Gn0ta7VnXUtsbE-wSPyybNYCIhhlQRMKElrn8S8ZpsMTDLoXAfEV7l45PKMullrI2Ho8LPDGiLz7VdCg8B9sQGWTHOUB46XBUq4/s936/lcc-80-dusk-legion-sergeant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3JGh5LuZMspA76WWq9-F661ke3z3jLQoWntABqCdvF6aD0-1rwyNjh_uALPi0AY3FJaap0mRjHLuf3Xi_uSIuwYZ2Gn0ta7VnXUtsbE-wSPyybNYCIhhlQRMKElrn8S8ZpsMTDLoXAfEV7l45PKMullrI2Ho8LPDGiLz7VdCg8B9sQGWTHOUB46XBUq4/s320/lcc-80-dusk-legion-sergeant.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Reasonable protection from Wrath effects for your vamps. Cool. Can't help but be a greedy bastard and wish this said "undying" instead of "persist" but that's probably completely unreasonable. Protecting your army seems good nonetheless.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLYxauv8g4Tqw0Ug7yxGMXI52SztPXh91iaD2k0xLAQvARotF630wqqpnt_-w4MqeLhU3-lR5jX_oBTyoBvUurkTq__rX230cKyXCdMRvYiE5wT9MSbIIN6cuKKg1_xgzpNMKa71L0DDLSK2zveuxi10cD5rpJxZSVZ5ZsZhNNBamN-EBfZyKHh5ouie8/s936/lcc-81-francisco-fowl-marauder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLYxauv8g4Tqw0Ug7yxGMXI52SztPXh91iaD2k0xLAQvARotF630wqqpnt_-w4MqeLhU3-lR5jX_oBTyoBvUurkTq__rX230cKyXCdMRvYiE5wT9MSbIIN6cuKKg1_xgzpNMKa71L0DDLSK2zveuxi10cD5rpJxZSVZ5ZsZhNNBamN-EBfZyKHh5ouie8/s320/lcc-81-francisco-fowl-marauder.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>LOL this thing is wacky. Partner? Does anything else in the set even have Partner? WHOSE BIRD IS THIS?!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuJxvwCBKGxyGJ3TAr8vDJfNl42tasPp5-9vJB_m0aOIuz-j-q_yCF8BrhUGKLKt3xQeAB-dwSCFyrPozqZ6t5_5K0ebxOR6HI2ZUURBcQkGJTgLEXHnlH6eYkbK0lTf5Am1KkXwxrCRQZlCdo2eozDAZoqSRyjdldsbi31wb5ZQHCVg9-2H4tvd2WFJU/s936/lcc-82-the-grim-captain-s-locker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuJxvwCBKGxyGJ3TAr8vDJfNl42tasPp5-9vJB_m0aOIuz-j-q_yCF8BrhUGKLKt3xQeAB-dwSCFyrPozqZ6t5_5K0ebxOR6HI2ZUURBcQkGJTgLEXHnlH6eYkbK0lTf5Am1KkXwxrCRQZlCdo2eozDAZoqSRyjdldsbi31wb5ZQHCVg9-2H4tvd2WFJU/s320/lcc-82-the-grim-captain-s-locker.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Not terrible, but there are better options for both self-mill and reanimation. You're likely playing this strictly for theme/flavor, rather than cause it's the best card for the job.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhTioO65qD6RPeDmy63ZmOls09-DpN5UDxTYg7E76BdmcbS3Klc8CztpjHTM70_xC-owcD1qOeGV4UpEt2LCVQXd9mk3V28Dc5s4MzfTHQZqme82VVQ140qKmO06ttB1SLNxHSLFWNf8DKj_DoBFbT1KP51bpK_pjhpwJfkHn5ESd8-k9wDNldizRmM0/s936/lcc-83-master-of-dark-rites.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhTioO65qD6RPeDmy63ZmOls09-DpN5UDxTYg7E76BdmcbS3Klc8CztpjHTM70_xC-owcD1qOeGV4UpEt2LCVQXd9mk3V28Dc5s4MzfTHQZqme82VVQ140qKmO06ttB1SLNxHSLFWNf8DKj_DoBFbT1KP51bpK_pjhpwJfkHn5ESd8-k9wDNldizRmM0/s320/lcc-83-master-of-dark-rites.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Holy shit this thing is fucking absurd. I think most Edgar lists would rather see this in their opening hand than Sol Ring, and that's just nuts. Bonkers. People on Arena are going to see you play this T1 and just scoop, not knowing your hand is full of lands and white cards, LOL.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ZqhD65aGlHt6iUTZboMvMP90HA0958fQ7SQxJf8wV5Id2LFnV2maZqL9bjS9v3ok5Y4jmV1py2V8AhAlkhil65OQ57P3IRlGANS3VpG9_XqWtGtPz5avoeGCP7bqjXjOyOF3usiwvPF1YG13ZPQhc2tNH4E4wxKsEsoPNRCLoUibMV-cZelFg8dHAao/s936/lcc-84-promise-of-aclazotz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ZqhD65aGlHt6iUTZboMvMP90HA0958fQ7SQxJf8wV5Id2LFnV2maZqL9bjS9v3ok5Y4jmV1py2V8AhAlkhil65OQ57P3IRlGANS3VpG9_XqWtGtPz5avoeGCP7bqjXjOyOF3usiwvPF1YG13ZPQhc2tNH4E4wxKsEsoPNRCLoUibMV-cZelFg8dHAao/s320/lcc-84-promise-of-aclazotz.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Odd card, not sure how to rate it yet. Populating your 1/1s from Edgar Markov, for example, doesn't seem quite good enough. The sorcery half is just whatever. Fine if you have the opportunity to go for it, but I think you play this almost entirely for the Enchantment half, if at all.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgguNzu0bucsl_uZsASVtsogv5kDej177eabnoGsHwK-DO6f-yp2njy52duzXxZltAQjZjZnoQR7ZlWXOYGyYnDB9yWMKnUw6WgRXB8S87iNx6PkMoi6oCID2zlN8CLmHIuxEypAhozP2t8AlYYaeKaHeFJ1UVCaxccDE3FbmQ1Ky7F3xMBSwyk61AipDQ/s936/lcc-85-skeleton-crew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgguNzu0bucsl_uZsASVtsogv5kDej177eabnoGsHwK-DO6f-yp2njy52duzXxZltAQjZjZnoQR7ZlWXOYGyYnDB9yWMKnUw6WgRXB8S87iNx6PkMoi6oCID2zlN8CLmHIuxEypAhozP2t8AlYYaeKaHeFJ1UVCaxccDE3FbmQ1Ky7F3xMBSwyk61AipDQ/s320/lcc-85-skeleton-crew.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><p>This pun is lame compared to Wave Goodbye, but I appreciate that the attempt was made. Seems a bit slow and clunky for the current state of the format. Even casual decks seem to be a bit too fast and over the top for this level of durdle. I like that it exists but fear it will struggle to be relevant in the average meta.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDSS6xX0QYX0xOBvKzxhyHCL-aPR1ZUeVcI9946EUZ1aOBqj80q-Gh4QaMkeCD1Gh8MOIIaxa3qefRDgvACsAfetTnT5KPIWDnYBes07gikmVzTa_hEem0fPcRelh8Z3vtwlWDGerzO_5wD-QKVgnMbEygYGUZhyphenhyphenC2m7SNdob3V0OH4o0tzmB2fpk245k/s936/lcc-86-broadside-bombardiers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDSS6xX0QYX0xOBvKzxhyHCL-aPR1ZUeVcI9946EUZ1aOBqj80q-Gh4QaMkeCD1Gh8MOIIaxa3qefRDgvACsAfetTnT5KPIWDnYBes07gikmVzTa_hEem0fPcRelh8Z3vtwlWDGerzO_5wD-QKVgnMbEygYGUZhyphenhyphenC2m7SNdob3V0OH4o0tzmB2fpk245k/s320/lcc-86-broadside-bombardiers.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Swing and fling, bruh.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_Ntl52SFKfrC4pyWO6Xis8mNNBZq0AF8nfcyDwGD2AdBgnR_htJjEZpa4e6f_XKMIivjKMx6TrY1hfPi1XD-9ilhc-zJhjUk_fHo56eSDQbq0JqgsaY9LRMxfLkGDaoUXx1UOM8rERAF5wBtfSyyyn8w7wbfxplxBvOe3Av9dm0LMc5tc3Zd2oYRNVs/s936/lcc-87-gemcutter-buccaneer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_Ntl52SFKfrC4pyWO6Xis8mNNBZq0AF8nfcyDwGD2AdBgnR_htJjEZpa4e6f_XKMIivjKMx6TrY1hfPi1XD-9ilhc-zJhjUk_fHo56eSDQbq0JqgsaY9LRMxfLkGDaoUXx1UOM8rERAF5wBtfSyyyn8w7wbfxplxBvOe3Av9dm0LMc5tc3Zd2oYRNVs/s320/lcc-87-gemcutter-buccaneer.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Equipping your Treasure tokens seems like a bit of a nightmare to track in paper, but I guess it's not the worst thing we've seen. I am just detecting a very clear trend in WotC designing paper Magic cards as if they just assume that everyone is playing digital Magic so these concerns over IRL/paper complexity appear to matter less and less to them these days. Then again, few cards are as obnoxious to track in paper games as Cathar's Crusade and that hasn't stopped most of us from playing it regardless. Still, despite WotC officially saying on many, many occasions that paper Magic is still more important than digital, the complexity/memory issues they are introducing seems to indicate that the official stance is little more than PR.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjaWfnNoF-2-JMqlMqQMLEGjVh-SF1ycOADzq9tF5yiqclrUq5rc51EPAVph1PMPgYk0bDm96Yay1vEpnN5XhprFIgQJMvrYdWurx1ieaMDwLqyWw4JB3Ef4PVrtttx0hJ-tHTKNw4t7S8gSiIF3mSZzZYhzZEQk1DAbwWT07hHFZHHk2TPoN0wLHedt0/s936/lcc-88-wrathful-raptors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjaWfnNoF-2-JMqlMqQMLEGjVh-SF1ycOADzq9tF5yiqclrUq5rc51EPAVph1PMPgYk0bDm96Yay1vEpnN5XhprFIgQJMvrYdWurx1ieaMDwLqyWw4JB3Ef4PVrtttx0hJ-tHTKNw4t7S8gSiIF3mSZzZYhzZEQk1DAbwWT07hHFZHHk2TPoN0wLHedt0/s320/lcc-88-wrathful-raptors.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><p>More juicy tech for Enrage Dinos. Someone tell Ulvenwald Tracker to ditch the bear and start hanging with the Dinosaurs. Fun card, and probably perfectly acceptable in any Dino deck, not just the Enrage-focused lists. Makes combat math and absolute nightmare for your opponents, and probably will get you some free wins when they forget exactly what this thing does.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgraN4fAyUhtc5Stc3IaBKRgg0RkA_C6grE9WkExSqqW4khOczOIlAepC6T_pMjWRADXmMMbajUCG0hAAFPh26alhjti9-dPB6rKEzII5x6uJ6r38t2fTbDRlBUiFq9OEC1yMtuL7dk1KDPD7kl7NDi9w9zTb0mve-5jto1sijLdYK44qGbWspjAkjA5g4/s936/lcc-89-bygone-marvels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgraN4fAyUhtc5Stc3IaBKRgg0RkA_C6grE9WkExSqqW4khOczOIlAepC6T_pMjWRADXmMMbajUCG0hAAFPh26alhjti9-dPB6rKEzII5x6uJ6r38t2fTbDRlBUiFq9OEC1yMtuL7dk1KDPD7kl7NDi9w9zTb0mve-5jto1sijLdYK44qGbWspjAkjA5g4/s320/lcc-89-bygone-marvels.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Man, at first I thought this really sucked ass, but I missed that it says "copy this <i>twice</i>". I'm certainly not above running some Regrowth type effects, and getting back three permanent cards for 2 mana is a fantastic rate. But like all these <i>Descend 8</i> cards, it's pretty sketchy outside of decks that are heavily focused on self-mill or other graveyard-based fuckery.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXnfBF23Ok9KtsxuAZ3iLC68pl1Z_dFNiv5Lb-sBu-_Evsb3aC-YUYRimCZXmg4QpTLe6E7nGTBdeoO6uFk3YPqv0ZrRfBUUA1SNZN_ZNVZCtlkoTX5KA62PHfL3BtCrSaaPoW90sg3xtwN15zfxyoNElC2Ecl3MgGzB0GP_JbLiPyHiHR5SbiTpJ_n6A/s936/lcc-90-curious-altisaur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXnfBF23Ok9KtsxuAZ3iLC68pl1Z_dFNiv5Lb-sBu-_Evsb3aC-YUYRimCZXmg4QpTLe6E7nGTBdeoO6uFk3YPqv0ZrRfBUUA1SNZN_ZNVZCtlkoTX5KA62PHfL3BtCrSaaPoW90sg3xtwN15zfxyoNElC2Ecl3MgGzB0GP_JbLiPyHiHR5SbiTpJ_n6A/s320/lcc-90-curious-altisaur.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Dino draw to draw more Dino. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIhlfINjVfWj3Ct6qz6iCAbFv4ZcrzCdnl2rr2HOLqozEEo4vOPxlGbCLamEEy6geHGvQLn4v4Poqdf5LP0lwDx8Zzvze9f0pFdHJcaOmenNscBr4RynkJWYJgs-cny3U-ArM1jUM0IyLtv8P-dTEtE37aanvtFKTRsfjp2LsJfo1jIq10AhCm9d4G2XQ/s936/lcc-91-deeproot-historian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIhlfINjVfWj3Ct6qz6iCAbFv4ZcrzCdnl2rr2HOLqozEEo4vOPxlGbCLamEEy6geHGvQLn4v4Poqdf5LP0lwDx8Zzvze9f0pFdHJcaOmenNscBr4RynkJWYJgs-cny3U-ArM1jUM0IyLtv8P-dTEtE37aanvtFKTRsfjp2LsJfo1jIq10AhCm9d4G2XQ/s320/lcc-91-deeproot-historian.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Great bit of recursion for your Merfolk (and/or Druid) tribal decks. Neat stuff. Retrace seems odd until you consider the heavy explore theme in this deck, which will likely provide an ample surplus of lands to discard once it gets going. Outside of specifically Hakbal, this gets a little more iffy. Then again, Simic has a number of popular commanders that happen to be Druids - Kinnan, Tatyova, Imoti, and Rashmi to name just a few. I probably wouldn't run this JUST for my commander alone, but chances are good most of those decks run a few other Druids incidentally, and you could probably find a few more that fit whatever your deck does quite easily. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlmwG_-RU6AP2N31S0mUuonEc4nOGMgi24LotMQOd9uyM98JPtMeT415967pZdM6fkaiPMODJcYtXBg7jaqJhrpzYgFT-iwesuTbnm8wVs118WnRZ7F2RDj30VgUOZcb3wCv712l5YVheQSrWCfRaGEdoEBn-PTP5v00HXVWwhUdBQLB19syxm1gysMdY/s936/lcc-92-dinosaur-egg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlmwG_-RU6AP2N31S0mUuonEc4nOGMgi24LotMQOd9uyM98JPtMeT415967pZdM6fkaiPMODJcYtXBg7jaqJhrpzYgFT-iwesuTbnm8wVs118WnRZ7F2RDj30VgUOZcb3wCv712l5YVheQSrWCfRaGEdoEBn-PTP5v00HXVWwhUdBQLB19syxm1gysMdY/s320/lcc-92-dinosaur-egg.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><p><i>"Can i offer you a nice egg in this trying time?"</i></p><p><i> </i>-- Frank Reynolds<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit14Od03j2pB_GOSU-CegCa4O9TvRgVQGJejiGrHuOTDzbMD6SaVzJNhEuZv74ffSn9uid0XEWhUo36H3suWbuDWYiW4US4xNc5Lt1PNmwJ_J4Rk35yoXheg0ZCyb7_J7RVFJ2NmRJzt4d_qGU2r3u9pyom9WS6SHSD0YH0IV8cT4DJspF3_Z3oS6ANzk/s936/lcc-93-scion-of-calamity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit14Od03j2pB_GOSU-CegCa4O9TvRgVQGJejiGrHuOTDzbMD6SaVzJNhEuZv74ffSn9uid0XEWhUo36H3suWbuDWYiW4US4xNc5Lt1PNmwJ_J4Rk35yoXheg0ZCyb7_J7RVFJ2NmRJzt4d_qGU2r3u9pyom9WS6SHSD0YH0IV8cT4DJspF3_Z3oS6ANzk/s320/lcc-93-scion-of-calamity.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Very solid rate for a Myriad guy. Relevant utility damage trigger. Hard to imagine this not being mandatory in pretty much any Dino deck. Lack of Trample probably doesn't matter <i>that </i>much, but of course it would be welcome to help it get through and do it's thing. But hey, that's certainly an easy problem for Green to solve. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBql8Npl8fX-pSc9AUPd0i4QARyUiV5xRaABTD7Mf0Qf51yfR8fuAZ03aC8XDuqVwjg9AGrIskkLCVkGjjyerZslr8cDB8XqtfZK3odfMxjzDSySuN9Vju4JQjIAwGVUjrdsYpkfV7I8NnA7vHMCP9toku5st1qSr3s-eQSTzTLRZ_udrshs7Gf2lY1a0/s936/lcc-94-sunfrill-imitator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBql8Npl8fX-pSc9AUPd0i4QARyUiV5xRaABTD7Mf0Qf51yfR8fuAZ03aC8XDuqVwjg9AGrIskkLCVkGjjyerZslr8cDB8XqtfZK3odfMxjzDSySuN9Vju4JQjIAwGVUjrdsYpkfV7I8NnA7vHMCP9toku5st1qSr3s-eQSTzTLRZ_udrshs7Gf2lY1a0/s320/lcc-94-sunfrill-imitator.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Notable that it doesn't say "until end of turn". No, it just stays as whatever you copy until you decide to have it copy something else. Clearly useless outside Dino decks, but let's face it, those are going to be more popular than ever after this set, I think. This is one that I think is perfectly fine if you wanna run it, but it's not an essential piece. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1jq6vyfZAZTVHBbQJkasqACsoBzToPeA0Mgxb6tqocw9K6fTgW0Wg10foZcann7Rw5FX56muTj8nzZp1OXtkBwfAtQL-ttOIXMLzcCedQ59agF68UK0_3CfPW3hx570CQ9WWgyfDZbV6pPtJlnHI3p-v3ZEEoCKha0ncT7Vd57hhELaH4FdPKA3CqTIE/s936/lcc-95-topography-tracker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1jq6vyfZAZTVHBbQJkasqACsoBzToPeA0Mgxb6tqocw9K6fTgW0Wg10foZcann7Rw5FX56muTj8nzZp1OXtkBwfAtQL-ttOIXMLzcCedQ59agF68UK0_3CfPW3hx570CQ9WWgyfDZbV6pPtJlnHI3p-v3ZEEoCKha0ncT7Vd57hhELaH4FdPKA3CqTIE/s320/lcc-95-topography-tracker.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>I'm just not that into Map tokens, I guess. Maybe they'll play better than I imagine, but right now my feeling is that most of these cards are just decent. I kinda wish this followed the "Tireless" pattern - i.e. 3/2 for three, makes a Map when you play land - but doubling the effect of your Maps and other Explore effects is pretty cool too.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXM7xochoEW9SlHw0OFfV3_51VOBoJRIAURznhVMoHeQJVcG2FnUl71ftVRC4r2KfIPOpElwEb96tGGe4l29zV0ONFlZR6UeAVBFYVWYF7-rmh9bEgV4ZXiZ7v3agumBgWWhiWbHe-7VD8jjO_bycvkLdqhQDZEf6KnR4XfQP6Kktu2KXGA6EAiE2y4ng/s936/lcc-96-tributary-instructor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXM7xochoEW9SlHw0OFfV3_51VOBoJRIAURznhVMoHeQJVcG2FnUl71ftVRC4r2KfIPOpElwEb96tGGe4l29zV0ONFlZR6UeAVBFYVWYF7-rmh9bEgV4ZXiZ7v3agumBgWWhiWbHe-7VD8jjO_bycvkLdqhQDZEf6KnR4XfQP6Kktu2KXGA6EAiE2y4ng/s320/lcc-96-tributary-instructor.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><p>Another solid looking role filler. Not mechanically exclusive to Merfolk decks, but wants at least to be in lists with heavy +1/+1 counter themes. But that particular archetype is severely spoiled for choice, and I know every time I build around +1/+1 counters, be it Simic, Abzan, or some other G/x combination, I wind up with enough playables to build two decks, so this guy is up against some wicked competition if you're considering him outside of a Hakbal build.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgohC2cf8spYmbgBIXZjA58Rk9pqZNcWvG0kBh3wQ2GEVPvuFbvTN2aP2i3fKJmPQyvH546mNVqfWXpi5I-hemc9lOFO335v1NFshoNHE1DFvTdhoU2Z97Os2c1Ab4IcaC50zDm2faI11L1tEv_ZMLeDqRjt9mt4FxigGxbzGSdj_V3rMmltmC5d-Powsg/s936/lcc-97-order-of-sacred-dusk%20-%20Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgohC2cf8spYmbgBIXZjA58Rk9pqZNcWvG0kBh3wQ2GEVPvuFbvTN2aP2i3fKJmPQyvH546mNVqfWXpi5I-hemc9lOFO335v1NFshoNHE1DFvTdhoU2Z97Os2c1Ab4IcaC50zDm2faI11L1tEv_ZMLeDqRjt9mt4FxigGxbzGSdj_V3rMmltmC5d-Powsg/s320/lcc-97-order-of-sacred-dusk%20-%20Copy.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Keyword salad! This thing does it all. Vampires are notorious for going wide, and quickly, especially in Edgar Markov decks. Should be trivially easy to power this out by like T5 or so in an Edgar list. I can certainly seeing this somehow turning out to be more clunky and awkward than it looks on paper, of course. But my gut says this is very much worth checking out. I really think this thing is just going to kill people out of nowhere, especially in groups that skimp on removal.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUJ3KOzNZSx9vDJiWcM8iuBnx7lja-S1RP_mccL5114WBOi2P2EaburJC87jT5FNIbt4DNLEZe34Lz2RawYc4l3iaWPncHe86D7i9yeHzt_I-7gxbv_VU1iMvrki5jpp_MYXUT7InrHqgKpJDA0hY4nCWvJX0xcjB8Laza-3759pUPl6wpJEfXF8lt7Qo/s936/lcc-98-singer-of-swift-rivers%20-%20Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUJ3KOzNZSx9vDJiWcM8iuBnx7lja-S1RP_mccL5114WBOi2P2EaburJC87jT5FNIbt4DNLEZe34Lz2RawYc4l3iaWPncHe86D7i9yeHzt_I-7gxbv_VU1iMvrki5jpp_MYXUT7InrHqgKpJDA0hY4nCWvJX0xcjB8Laza-3759pUPl6wpJEfXF8lt7Qo/s320/lcc-98-singer-of-swift-rivers%20-%20Copy.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Yes, yes, yes, yes. Flash. Saving a guy from removal is, of course, a sweet effect that we can probably make use of quite easily. But giving all your Merfolk Flash is the main attraction, to me. I am a die-hard fan of cards like Leyline of Anticipation or Alchemist's Refuge. When you can just do everything, or at least <i>most </i>things, at the last possible second, it feels so damn good. This set may not be the tipping point for me building a Pirate deck, but it sure as hell is going to get me to finally build a Merfolk deck. And this is probably my favorite of all the new Merfolk in the set. So good.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6pGoPvsM9WJR_zYfW2WOCz04C3i1PA9i7az7OP4ag-_dQrLhu8GuUu2Hk4ptf4CjhrGwW_h5BcMzr0vOjF2lcN5ktTaZc7AGdB4d0c7hO1aICa9oU1mRvlcfOSJJUudcDxw-i5gFxs6rGXEtZ7MrH6VAztQQDEUk17e5USeWl4GNOYQZn7yjvWThoRV8/s936/lcc-99-arm-mounted-anchor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6pGoPvsM9WJR_zYfW2WOCz04C3i1PA9i7az7OP4ag-_dQrLhu8GuUu2Hk4ptf4CjhrGwW_h5BcMzr0vOjF2lcN5ktTaZc7AGdB4d0c7hO1aICa9oU1mRvlcfOSJJUudcDxw-i5gFxs6rGXEtZ7MrH6VAztQQDEUk17e5USeWl4GNOYQZn7yjvWThoRV8/s320/lcc-99-arm-mounted-anchor.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Meh. Even in a Pirate build, I think I'd rather just run a few of the Swords of X and Y instead. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjct4Os4NhIclhK0RsqtBerpTQTKFVrU3agy0F5mMm6HPRh7E_Ibyx23QB3Cy1EYLM5U6Tzmy9W1YGxHZ9T0sWH6u_N7j_GwliAxEtlqoX3Vs5KygG8Z3szUBBmCTmXgOHqaTPNeqF_6JqhEjinPuirisShtq4AXOsT-F3x2pQ1ckxRW5agCT1mLA95c38/s936/lcc-100-progenitor-s-icon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjct4Os4NhIclhK0RsqtBerpTQTKFVrU3agy0F5mMm6HPRh7E_Ibyx23QB3Cy1EYLM5U6Tzmy9W1YGxHZ9T0sWH6u_N7j_GwliAxEtlqoX3Vs5KygG8Z3szUBBmCTmXgOHqaTPNeqF_6JqhEjinPuirisShtq4AXOsT-F3x2pQ1ckxRW5agCT1mLA95c38/s320/lcc-100-progenitor-s-icon.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><p>More flash enabling along tribal lines, but somehow I'm not as stoked about this one. Depends on the tribe, I guess, but overall I think this is a little too narrow and restrictive to be all that exciting. Decent, maybe, but nothing to get worked up over.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Okay. That's it! We're done; go home.</p><p></p>Thaumaturgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07734372825472901455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461869454202308168.post-10822553519150381162023-11-13T12:34:00.000-08:002023-11-14T18:37:01.820-08:00Lost Caverns of Ixalan EDH Set Review<p> Once again, we're back to discuss the Rare cards of LCI. After this we will talk about any Commons and Uncommons I feel are significant to our format, and that'll be that... Oh, well, wait. I guess there's also the LCI Commander stuff to talk about to!</p><p>EDIT: Okay so I had planned on doing on further post to talk about Commons and Uncommons from the main set, but after looking over the spoiler there were just so few cards that I felt worth mentioning that it didn't seem worth doing a post for like 2 or 3 cards that weren't all that exciting anyway, so consider this the final piece of the main set, and after this we'll go straight on to the Commander cards.<br /></p><p> Okay then, on with the show.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDmJKBdba0TLCDlYAVIg_x72tPHGBW2_uZ7oN9PizR2crUT_vQaw8v6lyc-EgfY9U9TfLLQ9L0xKpTKkuj2A6eKlGsNrdGHUjJdOulOrzLJz-izqtjC56bW2B4YQsNMvv1xBJlDt6_IMY5KMCJvm_2mIE04owd7MHohl0OC2V7rBqS70Sdq6sg1OWqdW4/s936/lci-176-bedrock-tortoise.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDmJKBdba0TLCDlYAVIg_x72tPHGBW2_uZ7oN9PizR2crUT_vQaw8v6lyc-EgfY9U9TfLLQ9L0xKpTKkuj2A6eKlGsNrdGHUjJdOulOrzLJz-izqtjC56bW2B4YQsNMvv1xBJlDt6_IMY5KMCJvm_2mIE04owd7MHohl0OC2V7rBqS70Sdq6sg1OWqdW4/s320/lci-176-bedrock-tortoise.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Oh, cool, a new toughness matters card. Probably great for Arcades/Ikra/Doran players and not much else? Then again it's sort of a 6/6 semi-hexproof for 4 mana so it might see a tiny bit of play elsewhere. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqSbC0qZYkrJlQGnOu0MF3M0drWtytIX4Cfqm3wb_OIyuzilSZ08SUWYHmKkwZyoc09PBwJqEkpStCvbbSIHaqgIXD77Z6Iv6AO-T5HuvoPPWK6EmJJW-hmGwd2uOLRgOxpMVGNb_Za_uAHjOvomhPSu3ezbkwVsjiUoGm8Mq1dKh1_VnqvuWYH5lsO18/s936/lci-181-cosmium-confluence.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqSbC0qZYkrJlQGnOu0MF3M0drWtytIX4Cfqm3wb_OIyuzilSZ08SUWYHmKkwZyoc09PBwJqEkpStCvbbSIHaqgIXD77Z6Iv6AO-T5HuvoPPWK6EmJJW-hmGwd2uOLRgOxpMVGNb_Za_uAHjOvomhPSu3ezbkwVsjiUoGm8Mq1dKh1_VnqvuWYH5lsO18/s320/lci-181-cosmium-confluence.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>A new confluence, but this one is kinda hyper-focused, so I don't expect this one to see much play. Are Caves going to be the new Gates? Doubt it.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBKkBQ0Az_JLyQB7mqw34XYvBUuLLV53slqup3dCbOHa7WrVFKljhavxHEniSJw18HiIOukRYvGVRYQuSo-lBB6TWFpNasulJQ07CtNI_CVLXYDyg6t5tmhogrjd0OakSw4ak4V36xBWJ2bSwBV8DHgCD0_psgVDbi4z_VEWW5TdhWHCk_ey8BOv03KGE/s936/lci-191-hulking-raptor.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBKkBQ0Az_JLyQB7mqw34XYvBUuLLV53slqup3dCbOHa7WrVFKljhavxHEniSJw18HiIOukRYvGVRYQuSo-lBB6TWFpNasulJQ07CtNI_CVLXYDyg6t5tmhogrjd0OakSw4ak4V36xBWJ2bSwBV8DHgCD0_psgVDbi4z_VEWW5TdhWHCk_ey8BOv03KGE/s320/lci-191-hulking-raptor.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Wow, okay, solid Dino-based ramp at a low enough spot on the curve to matter (for Dino decks, anyway). Seems well positioned to be a critical piece of ramp for the Zacamas and Gishaths of the world. I'd probably be willing to play this in Yorvo, even.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmQEYdz3iaixoNuyo-p4e_UebPsTsry9GVZjL89uLtjAo0p4ABKstXtcFH9rTtRYp0n5vZHioYYgL46kjz4UU6j0f2-_Ubx-wIghULwTBFJXMZXcICEKa-S_zRUt2BRDAFMv-3yKFBrGvlmYnCVPi68fmB1MUuW29RAR71Krq-XLL4T36VE_nOca-8bY/s936/lci-193-intrepid-paleontologist.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmQEYdz3iaixoNuyo-p4e_UebPsTsry9GVZjL89uLtjAo0p4ABKstXtcFH9rTtRYp0n5vZHioYYgL46kjz4UU6j0f2-_Ubx-wIghULwTBFJXMZXcICEKa-S_zRUt2BRDAFMv-3yKFBrGvlmYnCVPi68fmB1MUuW29RAR71Krq-XLL4T36VE_nOca-8bY/s320/lci-193-intrepid-paleontologist.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>More Dino-centric ramp, but mostly I just see another 2-drop dork for Etali decks on Arena. Ugh. The possibility to recurs your dead dinos is nice, but realistically I think it's a bit slow and durdly to be all that reliable. Oh, also I will take this moment to say I loathe Finality Counters. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndkuYD5OUsu-dW4v_naW7hlIu7jGm1l271e89OmMumW_XQAmuo0PTHnLJ7dVQmaaDGLihXXH4m-CRxRyY6H3IwEdfhvmxiysyY0MT0ftpCumZQqly2wYGh-1nNOdrg-QfGl1TaZd2VH1nhxHDyPTpznjPrNcGbhZUUW3WOYLf5T8UdSYUlW1ofxS3FKM/s936/lci-196-jadelight-spelunker.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndkuYD5OUsu-dW4v_naW7hlIu7jGm1l271e89OmMumW_XQAmuo0PTHnLJ7dVQmaaDGLihXXH4m-CRxRyY6H3IwEdfhvmxiysyY0MT0ftpCumZQqly2wYGh-1nNOdrg-QfGl1TaZd2VH1nhxHDyPTpznjPrNcGbhZUUW3WOYLf5T8UdSYUlW1ofxS3FKM/s320/lci-196-jadelight-spelunker.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Amusing, but probably not terribly efficient. I mean, yeah, you'll probably just go ahead and play it in your Simic Merfolk decks, but then you probably just try to play it out on curve for like 2-3 mana tops. Fine, but whatever.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYc2FrcrHDkwnTlosfiwv95eb7HX3V27xDr_XQogkhoKT9-ktFtpr2UDk78JsYKzynQRgKK33mvuGMrErTaRNnLWB2PnDsoaUP6TnKlSSUhHGNre6Zgph6H1xZN5IS4aFW6_wIQGnkUAqwIPiYyGxmdEto9gsut6tc654j7Zbv-0YhpAii2ljIQWS0SsI/s936/lci-208-pugnacious-hammerskull.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYc2FrcrHDkwnTlosfiwv95eb7HX3V27xDr_XQogkhoKT9-ktFtpr2UDk78JsYKzynQRgKK33mvuGMrErTaRNnLWB2PnDsoaUP6TnKlSSUhHGNre6Zgph6H1xZN5IS4aFW6_wIQGnkUAqwIPiYyGxmdEto9gsut6tc654j7Zbv-0YhpAii2ljIQWS0SsI/s320/lci-208-pugnacious-hammerskull.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>BONK<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVk9kR98uNoE2ZEI_MexEPO_ww3nsX4M2cuEl83aV9cZ_X9Pwo7vAIppqPS6hZhCk8FY9I3s2KBI4unE-3TsAeGPyQSWe69FMl_IpzBb6g7qXTvCMB1DOsz1k3-Ir5bou3mY2XGrdWZrRCyl84sirL1EllAmRAh0p2mq_FWrjJ9TM5svxcRVr-g6RctPs/s936/lci-211-sentinel-of-the-nameless-city.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVk9kR98uNoE2ZEI_MexEPO_ww3nsX4M2cuEl83aV9cZ_X9Pwo7vAIppqPS6hZhCk8FY9I3s2KBI4unE-3TsAeGPyQSWe69FMl_IpzBb6g7qXTvCMB1DOsz1k3-Ir5bou3mY2XGrdWZrRCyl84sirL1EllAmRAh0p2mq_FWrjJ9TM5svxcRVr-g6RctPs/s320/lci-211-sentinel-of-the-nameless-city.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><p>3/4 Vigilance for 3 is quite nice, and the Map tokens are certainly not irrelevant. Should be a slam dunk for Simic Merfolk, much more so than the Spelunker above. Another one I might even find room for in Yorvo, just due to the solid cost/stat rate.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQW3Gq_Nwyi8aAVKWDq-EqW4foVK2tLHrjUDjfQkWfdsZxaOOX76XYQziuV3qebBz8g9tUS3J21YiTohyTAOZIFcfk3FC4MLVz_vP5Qdskm5cUfXkN1CNrrHIGdY5-8tL7R8GwSlYfo1Eju-BfrBwXDQJ27AC7FVzDKjZOM_6BvBX5Xf6ycNOKRFSSIl4/s936/lci-219-abuelo-ancestral-echo.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQW3Gq_Nwyi8aAVKWDq-EqW4foVK2tLHrjUDjfQkWfdsZxaOOX76XYQziuV3qebBz8g9tUS3J21YiTohyTAOZIFcfk3FC4MLVz_vP5Qdskm5cUfXkN1CNrrHIGdY5-8tL7R8GwSlYfo1Eju-BfrBwXDQJ27AC7FVzDKjZOM_6BvBX5Xf6ycNOKRFSSIl4/s320/lci-219-abuelo-ancestral-echo.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>This is to Brago what Vito is to Teysa. Meaning, your poor friends are traumatized by your Brago deck, but you still wanna do Brago things. This should soften the blow, right? In all seriousness, this seems significantly worse than Brago, yet still capable of being annoying. Annoying, but not traumatically so. I actually wish he did something else, like make a 1/1 Spirit token when a card enters the battlefield from Exile or something like that. Kinda dull, as he is.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPhz88a_ulyR_BQpX0Ghj9CxwRW_nrL1MyfZ4teE0ZnwT0DS-OO34boOwkOOYX_sdGIN8cuBG9jG5F6vvVaf5xNJqYKA71UVLGNJDKDIEbu_UUb4zYh0TWWr2A8fC_Djh2r6lIh4pbl1EfkvFyp0H_CQHoaYKJKPWZCpiAg5SC10Iv2fp96Q1bPcVy0Q0/s936/lci-221-amalia-benavides-aguirre.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPhz88a_ulyR_BQpX0Ghj9CxwRW_nrL1MyfZ4teE0ZnwT0DS-OO34boOwkOOYX_sdGIN8cuBG9jG5F6vvVaf5xNJqYKA71UVLGNJDKDIEbu_UUb4zYh0TWWr2A8fC_Djh2r6lIh4pbl1EfkvFyp0H_CQHoaYKJKPWZCpiAg5SC10Iv2fp96Q1bPcVy0Q0/s320/lci-221-amalia-benavides-aguirre.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><p>Yikes. With this spiritual successor to Karlov of the Ghost Council, I'm not sure which one is actually better. Either way, this is easily the most exciting Orzhov commander I've seen since, well, Uncle Karl himself. </p><p>Karl is probably better at playing a more grindy, controlling game, and his ability to exile things is certainly more widely useful than Amalia's board wipe ability, but this thing can more easily pop off and one-shot someone out of nowhere.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz1H-uKhjMXgOn0xHsh0I87B5vsCnyX99JGSzF4UOJaFNuBZVqOFdUu6yXUEzXwGu3KeAf-o9nEQVnBc2kKcSvwGdLCD3i49ppuNzGaFd6E8gFkl7lYv8JC4HgT9oiViaHAmZMiPszQmdEFNfYY5RW-KVRzWEabat-MrNhVoSUgDm0CszcTZTNo6dRmkE/s936/lci-223-anim-pakal-thousandth-moon.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz1H-uKhjMXgOn0xHsh0I87B5vsCnyX99JGSzF4UOJaFNuBZVqOFdUu6yXUEzXwGu3KeAf-o9nEQVnBc2kKcSvwGdLCD3i49ppuNzGaFd6E8gFkl7lYv8JC4HgT9oiViaHAmZMiPszQmdEFNfYY5RW-KVRzWEabat-MrNhVoSUgDm0CszcTZTNo6dRmkE/s320/lci-223-anim-pakal-thousandth-moon.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Not really feeling this one. Don't have much to say about it, just doesn't pique my interest at all.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV9H61tQ9-6ueLDi1umUurKAxC87aP3mNxVHS7HIlBf_hD0Y3vz9yK5aJ5_HsJCFZ_xo13L1ic4WRhLOaAwMFI5OkToKT-mTvOPuZqPW1RqM8YoQndNSmr4xaa4sUEaJ_XJF5tueHQi2M0eiQCZu-bt-I1LAUgc8mgU-aA9GaR2VdmU4iHvX8hxe7WwYg/s936/lci-225-the-belligerent.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV9H61tQ9-6ueLDi1umUurKAxC87aP3mNxVHS7HIlBf_hD0Y3vz9yK5aJ5_HsJCFZ_xo13L1ic4WRhLOaAwMFI5OkToKT-mTvOPuZqPW1RqM8YoQndNSmr4xaa4sUEaJ_XJF5tueHQi2M0eiQCZu-bt-I1LAUgc8mgU-aA9GaR2VdmU4iHvX8hxe7WwYg/s320/lci-225-the-belligerent.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Good Lord, they are really committed to making me like Vehicles for some reason. And it seems to be working. I mainly just look at this and see a card for Jhoira (Weatherlight Captain, obvs). But it has a lot of potential for other use cases, I'm sure. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMnIVAYa4KOZ4bixl47_zrZ6MCuVjilcOueHd6qS0vBJcisZYzzAPINb9Bo5VFPE7CYAIjU3vBs92pQoq8oYllaUaJ_Qg6rm1NG_FwRb5I9HFB9YNYufRYf2Z0MWVEUd5cSxFWv4b0_-4302YutykvhVFjC73Pp6x0nASFFVA1XIaarMxzlQs9J-pdkdk/s936/lci-228-deepfathom-echo.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMnIVAYa4KOZ4bixl47_zrZ6MCuVjilcOueHd6qS0vBJcisZYzzAPINb9Bo5VFPE7CYAIjU3vBs92pQoq8oYllaUaJ_Qg6rm1NG_FwRb5I9HFB9YNYufRYf2Z0MWVEUd5cSxFWv4b0_-4302YutykvhVFjC73Pp6x0nASFFVA1XIaarMxzlQs9J-pdkdk/s320/lci-228-deepfathom-echo.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>We've come a loooong way from Vesuvan Doppelganger (a fact that makes me a little sad, as for many years, Vesuvan Doppelganger was one of my absolute favorite Magic cards ever, but now it's barely even playable, outside of like Clone Tribal decks). A 4/4 for four that Explores every turn is already decent, but add that it can selectively copy something else if there is something worth cloning and now it really has potential. Very solid.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy1Zz0g3PyZizQioCqbi7GK5qmxI0N5bc5NsWd0cEaT-RqiVc7xzH1PUZ5z4F99YM4MlYhoy2OtBm-RtgCS5l8OBI1bjPRp-lG7JO4lrv1lH2gi4KvMgHeHhWGZ0j1GRnzeYz-mhLdKz4c4xlpFXWAbyleiUAKaqk1i70GdWwfLQc-bj9nNsVSydRpdh8/s936/lci-231-kellan-daring-traveler.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy1Zz0g3PyZizQioCqbi7GK5qmxI0N5bc5NsWd0cEaT-RqiVc7xzH1PUZ5z4F99YM4MlYhoy2OtBm-RtgCS5l8OBI1bjPRp-lG7JO4lrv1lH2gi4KvMgHeHhWGZ0j1GRnzeYz-mhLdKz4c4xlpFXWAbyleiUAKaqk1i70GdWwfLQc-bj9nNsVSydRpdh8/s320/lci-231-kellan-daring-traveler.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Hmm. I really don't know what you do with this in EDH. Seems very much like a Standard card to me. Not an interesting commander, and I don't see it doing all that much in the 99. Just sort of okay, I guess.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8fU29SseUeveH_xbjfYj2qGvCG4sjKxi3VUE4h5V6k0gtpOe03N2RnaPhGC4226cytgpoMkjncS3NZJF8vp3JGN7Uej9QUn6X0TOWqFdaLTbxXguxSIlTW00T819HQLRnyJqjSefeHeUUmmga8i00kw7OlzsKoja40iBaFYuDWOr1zCHmIWS8CsETo1U/s936/lci-234-molten-collapse.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8fU29SseUeveH_xbjfYj2qGvCG4sjKxi3VUE4h5V6k0gtpOe03N2RnaPhGC4226cytgpoMkjncS3NZJF8vp3JGN7Uej9QUn6X0TOWqFdaLTbxXguxSIlTW00T819HQLRnyJqjSefeHeUUmmga8i00kw7OlzsKoja40iBaFYuDWOr1zCHmIWS8CsETo1U/s320/lci-234-molten-collapse.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>So, basically this is a Dreadbore that, if you cracked a fetchland, can also hit a Sol Ring? I guess if you're still running Dreadbore this is stricly better like 1% of the time. Still worth making the upgrade if you have it, because that rare instance where it does 2 for 1 is probably going to be big swing for you. But it still requires a lot of specific conditions to be that good.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBLq9e-AhCmOQAeXUHy-R0kvJdJ224AoPd2L6pD-LEA5Th0c3t9YF0_we8EKjl3Qi_D3wxaPfyrurMG6iJqDmTiIZtf47IAxprEF7gQhqmGdvN_QFBqvHeOzOs30zKJErjryid8l9SvokVZ8BHGRlyaj0Kqxhwkxnl31GHciLm-WbLosnsxhp18wMP_5U/s936/lci-237-palani-s-hatcher.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBLq9e-AhCmOQAeXUHy-R0kvJdJ224AoPd2L6pD-LEA5Th0c3t9YF0_we8EKjl3Qi_D3wxaPfyrurMG6iJqDmTiIZtf47IAxprEF7gQhqmGdvN_QFBqvHeOzOs30zKJErjryid8l9SvokVZ8BHGRlyaj0Kqxhwkxnl31GHciLm-WbLosnsxhp18wMP_5U/s320/lci-237-palani-s-hatcher.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>At first I thought this would be a great fit for Atla Palani (it even references her in the name) but the fact that it forces you to sac your Eggs might actually make it a liability moreso than an asset. That said, you can cast this post-Combat so you at least have some time before the first sacrifice happens. Also, Atla decks that only run like 3 big Eldrazi or whatever won't want to dilute their creatures with a whimpy 5/3. Yeah this one seems like it has a few things working against it, but I'm sure it'll get played in "fair" Atla decks regardless.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9FJ5ZAnQ4Qd6PUmnrmgWNQuZo3NRGfCG62OF9dragysRs0NLJzfmw7UyKodCr70xPrjdpzPgyv-kzCRbbQFPsYiI4twl2e-ZcVrZG3q3xjEiDftCZaIvrEi-2dxXFzvKx3kaMNiaio-X5BYCb1c1TfAE6t3UAo4ex93mZtOwM8WLSOXyAXUzTU2KWmvE/s936/lci-241-squirming-emergence.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9FJ5ZAnQ4Qd6PUmnrmgWNQuZo3NRGfCG62OF9dragysRs0NLJzfmw7UyKodCr70xPrjdpzPgyv-kzCRbbQFPsYiI4twl2e-ZcVrZG3q3xjEiDftCZaIvrEi-2dxXFzvKx3kaMNiaio-X5BYCb1c1TfAE6t3UAo4ex93mZtOwM8WLSOXyAXUzTU2KWmvE/s320/lci-241-squirming-emergence.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Shit, that's quite interesting. Probably my Golgari bias is showing but I really like this. At first I thought it was only so-so, but then I realized that it doesn't say "creature" it says "nonland permanent" so it hits Enchantments, Artifacts, Planeswalkers, and whatever else I may be forgetting. Battles, I guess? So it's actually quite versatile despite the<i> Fathomless Descent</i> restriction placed upon it. Self mill decks likely find it trivially easy to work around. Sidisi, Gitrog, Meren, etc. will probably be thrilled to have this.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDodHGXSdevZLdyikYXKT5uM3zAQ017ktHmxexCUK8YCQH8Zdc7ctrVnl_wZqpWx6HieVCdYpjSvm3dNFBXypQ9-ukCYE1QztgcfU5lcAnJBM06Y4CqbyoYEZo5zpDgAXBi245DvBwsQGGFOvs5ThlsFrDV8C6SqB4p2tGz_og3YSqai0pHuokIIjpS0/s936/lci-244-wail-of-the-forgotten.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDodHGXSdevZLdyikYXKT5uM3zAQ017ktHmxexCUK8YCQH8Zdc7ctrVnl_wZqpWx6HieVCdYpjSvm3dNFBXypQ9-ukCYE1QztgcfU5lcAnJBM06Y4CqbyoYEZo5zpDgAXBi245DvBwsQGGFOvs5ThlsFrDV8C6SqB4p2tGz_og3YSqai0pHuokIIjpS0/s320/lci-244-wail-of-the-forgotten.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><p>Another potential Dimir/Sultai self-mill card, but it's not wildly powerful or exciting, just some solid card advantage. It's not bad, but far from a must-run even in those self-mill strategies. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ZSRUwrkIhq5N3eO_MejJExfL49vpArSSvyFfLgkiE_x5Zhw6ThHkyPV87LkJwHhx6DXaOiWAeeniFFIYNqzh8F8XHvRwIE_MMEaynCCaC4C-c8uN_OHx6UOlAiH-otJJfgsuDAEWj_eDp4m4gKZRHB6KeDquNeFzXRc-WtObdykA0zPzRB36DYW_plQ/s1344/lci-256-matzalantli-the-great-door.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="1344" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ZSRUwrkIhq5N3eO_MejJExfL49vpArSSvyFfLgkiE_x5Zhw6ThHkyPV87LkJwHhx6DXaOiWAeeniFFIYNqzh8F8XHvRwIE_MMEaynCCaC4C-c8uN_OHx6UOlAiH-otJJfgsuDAEWj_eDp4m4gKZRHB6KeDquNeFzXRc-WtObdykA0zPzRB36DYW_plQ/w400-h279/lci-256-matzalantli-the-great-door.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Three mana for a looter is kinda underwhelming, but it helps set up the flip condition of course. Even better you basically get your 4 mana investment back immediately upon transforming. I think this might be solid in mono-color decks, mainly. I would 100% run this is Feldon of the Third Path, for instance.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLubtsJ9Jk5Ov8ImOBBC7rL3O7moy3ZQ1zSHZTDy0gfCNp0oi3Glh-_azqHF3OeLOXNOukEizwhHi1RlsThQTDmDukJjOGcjymsCtnl-p6LsxbKW6_JZB90pgaQXRugo2zBknFUM6eh8eSwkNpubUqpsBsrkjvG_QKlwABun6HIL6QYlFiKJoejCtl1Bs/s936/lci-258-roaming-throne.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLubtsJ9Jk5Ov8ImOBBC7rL3O7moy3ZQ1zSHZTDy0gfCNp0oi3Glh-_azqHF3OeLOXNOukEizwhHi1RlsThQTDmDukJjOGcjymsCtnl-p6LsxbKW6_JZB90pgaQXRugo2zBknFUM6eh8eSwkNpubUqpsBsrkjvG_QKlwABun6HIL6QYlFiKJoejCtl1Bs/s320/lci-258-roaming-throne.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Generic "choose a tribe" tribal card. Probably not as good as just running Panharmonicon but solid stat/cost rate and Ward 2 might make this worth running as a redundancy that attacks and blocks.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6-OSa7lP9Ivv2l4RUuQ86lKku0bjcvNlLOmEpquqPXZgQUBscRx55gYNiB41LnUXnf5bhZTyJ01fZR83K3EsDLYQKODmLG1jwhipfQPBUBCd-UuAdB4IkA2bGwaYNPSG9oFQWadZ13SAKHBHGqGzUOVQZnSV9wc-H7GFzI83WBMonN-s_GvVZJsUcarQ/s936/lci-264-tarrian-s-soulcleaver.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6-OSa7lP9Ivv2l4RUuQ86lKku0bjcvNlLOmEpquqPXZgQUBscRx55gYNiB41LnUXnf5bhZTyJ01fZR83K3EsDLYQKODmLG1jwhipfQPBUBCd-UuAdB4IkA2bGwaYNPSG9oFQWadZ13SAKHBHGqGzUOVQZnSV9wc-H7GFzI83WBMonN-s_GvVZJsUcarQ/s320/lci-264-tarrian-s-soulcleaver.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>This is mostly very underwhelming, but it is worth noting that sacrificing a bunch of treasure tokens can power this up very rapidly. Still pretty mid, though.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Fd72v8A0EWEK0B6IBdOZ3aPXkIYhhRtDAdSXpdk87U6x4dxeRB35T-W4vFPH8ZFoWxoxvxji-URn3KA7Fh3PaeNVt7wOllj1LXvBLEDMnUGCnmwm_rNRm3lNh3GCcLB589lKtjfngb1ZwhMpweIwGX4ldSqsXcVfP7ato7yXBYiQxNRgTTtGkj_pcR8/s936/lci-265-threefold-thunderhulk.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Fd72v8A0EWEK0B6IBdOZ3aPXkIYhhRtDAdSXpdk87U6x4dxeRB35T-W4vFPH8ZFoWxoxvxji-URn3KA7Fh3PaeNVt7wOllj1LXvBLEDMnUGCnmwm_rNRm3lNh3GCcLB589lKtjfngb1ZwhMpweIwGX4ldSqsXcVfP7ato7yXBYiQxNRgTTtGkj_pcR8/s320/lci-265-threefold-thunderhulk.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>LOL this looks like a jank rare straight out of the original Mirrodin block or something. Seven mana for a 3/3 that isn't Meteor Golem seems wildly hard to justify even with all its other text. Matches up poorly to Myr Battlesphere. I have a hard time envisioning where this might actually be worth playing. Casual Brudiclad maybe?<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2hyphenhyphen2VxkjuNceXCf77wd8dmRm2mUqGjW_4he6MJ3Hq5nia7RJ29zW1qmksLTpA8sLoELm5HDZPKFAQxhs0N_DIlw1EZhQqbUvJVHLLfgI9khD3WtZFi_OSgcn-NPf6d0L7UNPStyYUFywBdM_4Vi1P-YqrFPbCgFeyQQGQN36pZCA5QY48OBptwBIAcPM/s1344/lci-266-throne-of-the-grim-captain.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="1344" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2hyphenhyphen2VxkjuNceXCf77wd8dmRm2mUqGjW_4he6MJ3Hq5nia7RJ29zW1qmksLTpA8sLoELm5HDZPKFAQxhs0N_DIlw1EZhQqbUvJVHLLfgI9khD3WtZFi_OSgcn-NPf6d0L7UNPStyYUFywBdM_4Vi1P-YqrFPbCgFeyQQGQN36pZCA5QY48OBptwBIAcPM/w400-h279/lci-266-throne-of-the-grim-captain.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>I don't even know, man. I mean, yeah, you can cheat this with some Changelings, but do you just slot this into whatever deck you already happened to have some changelings in? Does the self-mill portion matter to that deck? I guess maybe it could work in certain Horde of Notions lists. I guess. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcMUC4AU6XFKDnxuC5lA6mquXPyRhZGV5rRlfvo02FMfNZOIf8pOkHcheu5tojwxw_FfasarNC24perztiXPqCWziH6XmUbWWkpUdcWhobvevkP03Ewp5kZTAzJ1HKsIeBjsJFdmqaKaKj-LMG8NK3R9RnISkh0zoGGLvOxOZlMP8SD5QDEBsFzA4U6ZQ/s936/lci-271-echoing-deeps.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcMUC4AU6XFKDnxuC5lA6mquXPyRhZGV5rRlfvo02FMfNZOIf8pOkHcheu5tojwxw_FfasarNC24perztiXPqCWziH6XmUbWWkpUdcWhobvevkP03Ewp5kZTAzJ1HKsIeBjsJFdmqaKaKj-LMG8NK3R9RnISkh0zoGGLvOxOZlMP8SD5QDEBsFzA4U6ZQ/s320/lci-271-echoing-deeps.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Fine card for Gitrog.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinsFonKo4doDM8WxQifKV8HFqYKoqigW3gczQcgXisp8uj1jOWHaIxAZdkt9eELf_9-j0VK534NS6Vn2ODWItRurvXKjy86ekprhXodIpvV8x9Tmv-OG6j_3D_ynAsOTY6gC5Cis1XxutfefT183DO6-DsgbMnWRw82pWGoqoqnGas-6xstpqqNDPMRbI/s936/lci-280-restless-anchorage.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinsFonKo4doDM8WxQifKV8HFqYKoqigW3gczQcgXisp8uj1jOWHaIxAZdkt9eELf_9-j0VK534NS6Vn2ODWItRurvXKjy86ekprhXodIpvV8x9Tmv-OG6j_3D_ynAsOTY6gC5Cis1XxutfefT183DO6-DsgbMnWRw82pWGoqoqnGas-6xstpqqNDPMRbI/s320/lci-280-restless-anchorage.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Cool cycle. Dual manlands are neat.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcVMBvkx2WBfrqEQwqlZkM9efZ9yF_8T6Tt642-ZIfrK2ypIuNjIbgpwp34GrtRgvcNx4gVTVqe4ojndconjNoFstpv22Db2y2QND4pjoc2pWN3vMiVpn23F1zwt7w7k2w3QIRlDElNTkAOSrTpEv_AjzIKIMy01t6y-PUAmgLfncwkF0Pb63wcrUDtj8/s936/lci-281-restless-prairie.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcVMBvkx2WBfrqEQwqlZkM9efZ9yF_8T6Tt642-ZIfrK2ypIuNjIbgpwp34GrtRgvcNx4gVTVqe4ojndconjNoFstpv22Db2y2QND4pjoc2pWN3vMiVpn23F1zwt7w7k2w3QIRlDElNTkAOSrTpEv_AjzIKIMy01t6y-PUAmgLfncwkF0Pb63wcrUDtj8/s320/lci-281-restless-prairie.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>This one is objectively the best because it turns into a Llama. Not open to discussion.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_hjwlsJizWeubL8qpCQRS5MopOJfXqmCREup-zwBZzQBS5ya-SrQ30FcD5avNx77EyLWtd4KlBNPhFqu6WA5N0KuUcKW9JawHzC7FNPM99jzmcXK8FYEmYSplkVgR_8jcaD9zT4CeyCGDd60au9sDwkO7bzUo0FRTmvBiw4Fr9JOvItWRsRgLfA42Hq8/s936/lci-282-restless-reef.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_hjwlsJizWeubL8qpCQRS5MopOJfXqmCREup-zwBZzQBS5ya-SrQ30FcD5avNx77EyLWtd4KlBNPhFqu6WA5N0KuUcKW9JawHzC7FNPM99jzmcXK8FYEmYSplkVgR_8jcaD9zT4CeyCGDd60au9sDwkO7bzUo0FRTmvBiw4Fr9JOvItWRsRgLfA42Hq8/s320/lci-282-restless-reef.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Shark is also a very powerful creature type. My Wrexial deck circa 2011 would have <i>killed </i>to have this card.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoHHEoKqa7YcNUMq0Z5Tmv7qRihQBHkw0UekZ6ZS5pRnINVcneIwZ178AcCz_2nX7vN8LHNHnVeFp7OhrgHJXJ6z9aeUeb248ljXdJMc4iS5Odus9cQ7koLwJ_xS8SlT7mfvODejKglvWPQfIh9jzYNjzG6sXljr3gBQIsapdOWdPKTKnTmtyWrnrbfjc/s936/lci-283-restless-ridgeline.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoHHEoKqa7YcNUMq0Z5Tmv7qRihQBHkw0UekZ6ZS5pRnINVcneIwZ178AcCz_2nX7vN8LHNHnVeFp7OhrgHJXJ6z9aeUeb248ljXdJMc4iS5Odus9cQ7koLwJ_xS8SlT7mfvODejKglvWPQfIh9jzYNjzG6sXljr3gBQIsapdOWdPKTKnTmtyWrnrbfjc/s320/lci-283-restless-ridgeline.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Probably my least favorite of the cycle, but still good. Would definitely run this in Stonebrow.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuHSyVXiUutiIiapKx5KBIROt3l677tgDY0MNMFvWylmQD8iPSPET6baI0yRbrGNUj_WpFawGUY8c2z1RF2LpA9EDlx0ZWYOjNKi7SOXBDaEe9sGCixYmzJb3yk3K-si2XfBAGpx1aonV8msxQIYhJ2ZYZx5dXM3GTaejpdOLMVGRj-ag2hBFICLvfNHs/s936/lci-284-restless-vents.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuHSyVXiUutiIiapKx5KBIROt3l677tgDY0MNMFvWylmQD8iPSPET6baI0yRbrGNUj_WpFawGUY8c2z1RF2LpA9EDlx0ZWYOjNKi7SOXBDaEe9sGCixYmzJb3yk3K-si2XfBAGpx1aonV8msxQIYhJ2ZYZx5dXM3GTaejpdOLMVGRj-ag2hBFICLvfNHs/s320/lci-284-restless-vents.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Insect is kind of a strange choice of creature type here, but fine. Menace, plus the solid attack trigger makes this quite appealing.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigCuR1WNqWkMNx4U_dJtXbUWT57RYaVt2JTa86wcjcrUdI2djtAZhNY5wl0CnpZvek7PmI3Ae30P9mBj3ARslBo-f30APFr-cvl4Cun1ZTKEhO6avhPSkWjlLwZuluIZrC1pMp7Azp7A4KeXxb1bMkxJ2Yz72Ib-1Jr4H5RYRPUwO8uo4Qc2p6630YGYk/s936/lci-285-sunken-citadel.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigCuR1WNqWkMNx4U_dJtXbUWT57RYaVt2JTa86wcjcrUdI2djtAZhNY5wl0CnpZvek7PmI3Ae30P9mBj3ARslBo-f30APFr-cvl4Cun1ZTKEhO6avhPSkWjlLwZuluIZrC1pMp7Azp7A4KeXxb1bMkxJ2Yz72Ib-1Jr4H5RYRPUwO8uo4Qc2p6630YGYk/s320/lci-285-sunken-citadel.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>And this helps you activate your manlands, I guess. Probably not running it just for that purpose. Probably not a great card in EDH, to be honest, unless you just have a shit ton of utility lands for some reason. Yeah, <i>very </i>niche, at best. Probably just straight up useless.<br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Thaumaturgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07734372825472901455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461869454202308168.post-25574947868513321132023-11-13T10:26:00.000-08:002023-11-14T18:36:53.978-08:00Lost Caverns of Ixalan EDH Set Review<p> Having fully explored the mythic rares last time, today we're moving on to rares, though this will be the first of two parts in which we do so. No long preamble this time either. Let's get right into it.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvyrQXBDJlQcGpoO1kKFD0zRXbe7RoaHaHOYm6JIFV3hplsx_JDb7Gc8XVT0g7sjo2xEdXSnI-DlkQ9KeUppHT_McsyQAbt_3NolkkSy_TTm1mQiwR_wJjMvIiThKbwaRQ75ysR8ujCsjgpKPZCwuysiAc2SsAqSBCf8AzvVixYdB6xLifo3aOfOyQIY4/s936/lci-1-abuelo-s-awakening.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvyrQXBDJlQcGpoO1kKFD0zRXbe7RoaHaHOYm6JIFV3hplsx_JDb7Gc8XVT0g7sjo2xEdXSnI-DlkQ9KeUppHT_McsyQAbt_3NolkkSy_TTm1mQiwR_wJjMvIiThKbwaRQ75ysR8ujCsjgpKPZCwuysiAc2SsAqSBCf8AzvVixYdB6xLifo3aOfOyQIY4/s320/lci-1-abuelo-s-awakening.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>While this probably has some pretty cool niche use cases, I think this is just a bit overcosted, or rather too low-impact to be worthwhile. There are just more efficient ways to this sort of thing.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg46K4l2fzB2KeBk7VKvG2DIMPDvxd_2O-oG8NuAyn6hCi4cQlb8YmjrKLBJkaHh80XAhO1Y_1SMSVdfuoQ0H2O5RgbWWPRQvc4HR8X2jrzsQr1m-vDOMOLEyRb7Mx6jYMi26Nb6uB8HaklrG6z-zCln5esJBd-6TunThER3Hjq2gMb2h3AcSGU8bT7OGM/s936/lci-12-fabrication-foundry.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg46K4l2fzB2KeBk7VKvG2DIMPDvxd_2O-oG8NuAyn6hCi4cQlb8YmjrKLBJkaHh80XAhO1Y_1SMSVdfuoQ0H2O5RgbWWPRQvc4HR8X2jrzsQr1m-vDOMOLEyRb7Mx6jYMi26Nb6uB8HaklrG6z-zCln5esJBd-6TunThER3Hjq2gMb2h3AcSGU8bT7OGM/s320/lci-12-fabrication-foundry.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>A niche mana rock, probably good in like Sram or something, maybe Breya? I don't think the reanimator half of the card is super great because exiling your own stuff as a cost is quite painful and risky, so you're probably only using it when you expect to be going in for a win or out of desperation. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJKDLlIp_hqoaMksvEOFegKG_jm8cDGsSU5vkyPAGEMQIN7WktbohAJTSUEsv0K2MDi20lagvVwmDRMRvpi2YuZSb5Ph9TN0rKbgvvPcl_RQUI6M5gmdQ2k2mQXcsrMsZoqr3ZMOwQuh62yDnIdxZ2BzbhzS-gCgo6PEeNCg_WvXA0PPhlGY0H6gsK8x4/s936/lci-14-get-lost.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJKDLlIp_hqoaMksvEOFegKG_jm8cDGsSU5vkyPAGEMQIN7WktbohAJTSUEsv0K2MDi20lagvVwmDRMRvpi2YuZSb5Ph9TN0rKbgvvPcl_RQUI6M5gmdQ2k2mQXcsrMsZoqr3ZMOwQuh62yDnIdxZ2BzbhzS-gCgo6PEeNCg_WvXA0PPhlGY0H6gsK8x4/s320/lci-14-get-lost.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Interesting and versatile removal spell. Giving your opponent two Map tokens shouldn't be too painful overall. I definitely see this getting a lot of Brawl play, but I think I'd need a more compelling reason to play this in EDH beyond simply needing any old removal spell. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBwVxl8Fkn9_ooRBKKjICaQBCavabg9MLSxtu2nmBDUG3nSymUm0ZL53pC2HQAEcBUwnHrH9S7FBgjps-8Lx7WEj0jkiEE202GX2UuRNBIbikJq_QEIDH1hAiaLKN7BdCE2-NVxq0K_1xm3XPt3qA1NqGTpZ5Uedit3NSbJ3DMQQuxv2m0gShxeuLnk94/s936/lci-20-kutzil-s-flanker.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBwVxl8Fkn9_ooRBKKjICaQBCavabg9MLSxtu2nmBDUG3nSymUm0ZL53pC2HQAEcBUwnHrH9S7FBgjps-8Lx7WEj0jkiEE202GX2UuRNBIbikJq_QEIDH1hAiaLKN7BdCE2-NVxq0K_1xm3XPt3qA1NqGTpZ5Uedit3NSbJ3DMQQuxv2m0gShxeuLnk94/s320/lci-20-kutzil-s-flanker.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Kind of a weird selection of options on this one. Seems kinda iffy though. Could be meta-dependent but I think the graveyard nuke is the most likely to be relevant in EDH. Seems like it was designed for 60-card formats.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8VQ3uBvpNpzHuBFbd-rjBw_0xiEHav-3Vfqo_wsclx0eWWH_gTxWwh7tLmNzXCQLkNV_Zk_dXsyhpWLyeAi-C1bV8kAOZoDZkExMVMwhDgp6RHt8lmJZo5vq781QjE9DQOW1Mc8p1aNA1Gkdlw3P4z7rv1aQ_QL4nRiAFHjygR4EUeBIiWbaivHtsggo/s936/lci-34-sanguine-evangelist.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8VQ3uBvpNpzHuBFbd-rjBw_0xiEHav-3Vfqo_wsclx0eWWH_gTxWwh7tLmNzXCQLkNV_Zk_dXsyhpWLyeAi-C1bV8kAOZoDZkExMVMwhDgp6RHt8lmJZo5vq781QjE9DQOW1Mc8p1aNA1Gkdlw3P4z7rv1aQ_QL4nRiAFHjygR4EUeBIiWbaivHtsggo/s320/lci-34-sanguine-evangelist.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>I think this could have been an uncommon in another set. It's fine, but asking a three mana 2/1 to survive even a single attack step? Surely this just gets chumped on the first swing 9 times out of 10, right? The only reason I might even try this in Edgar Markov is because I can Skullclamp it to draw 2 if there are no good attacks open.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHXXOG8NH-o234cDTf54B969KyE_YE1CBmTIixaoOpkMlzjCc9wMaZDZDpEdRLxkknUaKJSB35qqrubxkqhlYDWhi8t2u4SSv8dF0-0UP1gI2Dxzmmm7cngPuqnyyVOwjrqNGPWWjVeTBRI5hJn8B0SSyHGIM5mCzhyliYcE7tF7g9flfvQTKAqXXBmDk/s1344/lci-39-thousand-moons-smithy.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="1344" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHXXOG8NH-o234cDTf54B969KyE_YE1CBmTIixaoOpkMlzjCc9wMaZDZDpEdRLxkknUaKJSB35qqrubxkqhlYDWhi8t2u4SSv8dF0-0UP1gI2Dxzmmm7cngPuqnyyVOwjrqNGPWWjVeTBRI5hJn8B0SSyHGIM5mCzhyliYcE7tF7g9flfvQTKAqXXBmDk/s320/lci-39-thousand-moons-smithy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Another double-sided novel to read. Sigh. I actually made it through this one, however, but it wasn't worth the effort. Sure, if you flip the card, the land side is potentially quite powerful, but the front side literally just makes one mediocre token and has the flip condition. This is high risk, high reward, but as good as the Land half might be, I think the risk outweighs the reward by miles.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2fhsayu9IqXltn4tR5oC5c71HutvtKFjTeikYkfccU_M1i0Nkg1qP15hmoETp3dj5BSHAy3O3RwQCMoWpxb4i5q_8F4PMBQ0kqD83L3959dQrnXijeYmOyTDlzXCRkO755te1mhhWqKeN5OiD03XWhdx6OnBmZVuEG1ZqdoxtcSWFGlUcWvb0JAMey4g/s1344/lci-41-unstable-glyphbridge.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="1344" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2fhsayu9IqXltn4tR5oC5c71HutvtKFjTeikYkfccU_M1i0Nkg1qP15hmoETp3dj5BSHAy3O3RwQCMoWpxb4i5q_8F4PMBQ0kqD83L3959dQrnXijeYmOyTDlzXCRkO755te1mhhWqKeN5OiD03XWhdx6OnBmZVuEG1ZqdoxtcSWFGlUcWvb0JAMey4g/s320/lci-41-unstable-glyphbridge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Oh, hey, a DFC that actually doesn't turn into a land! Also a shitload of text. This one seems pretty decent, but it doesn't really do anything White can't already do. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQYaP_-geDsn01f9Iiyk5WFeeiHDe85PdJ_lsGtN7Wi347mvRZw4anbbN5En9gxcmshvzraAT1eNpRRdcnpBkhLfxrJqQ7rU0E_jYnY2PmEVmAcxZHdAdz5HbGasHRrtuZC8mpgrjxT9bToMnmQ6wn5VPt47_iXOeZtRb9gCmJMx3ncf4PIl7PjjB4XQ/s936/lci-43-warden-of-the-inner-sky.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQYaP_-geDsn01f9Iiyk5WFeeiHDe85PdJ_lsGtN7Wi347mvRZw4anbbN5En9gxcmshvzraAT1eNpRRdcnpBkhLfxrJqQ7rU0E_jYnY2PmEVmAcxZHdAdz5HbGasHRrtuZC8mpgrjxT9bToMnmQ6wn5VPt47_iXOeZtRb9gCmJMx3ncf4PIl7PjjB4XQ/s320/lci-43-warden-of-the-inner-sky.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><p>I initially wanted to write this off as a card for 60-card formats, but I can actually see a use case or two for this in EDH. It might be decent in Emmara, Soul of the Accord, for instance, though it needs a bit more than just itself and Emmara to get anywhere, so even then it's a "maybe". </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHNqJrCJ4s-EjBPNtWBYSv4TB-ZqFHgwYD8uB3eptBL0xIXySDb5i88jlG0nYgYLdVLos8fXOBgdF6ov4nvM6Fda5tm9lSPAnyyBbaqCE5LG-p7Pz17Z2HgJ4u73OrHXSA7TN69toRFNbawCGulqI0X8M5Eve33N8jXUA76oAwxb8_yarcLqkrn6iQN5I/s936/lci-44-akal-pakal-first-among-equals.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHNqJrCJ4s-EjBPNtWBYSv4TB-ZqFHgwYD8uB3eptBL0xIXySDb5i88jlG0nYgYLdVLos8fXOBgdF6ov4nvM6Fda5tm9lSPAnyyBbaqCE5LG-p7Pz17Z2HgJ4u73OrHXSA7TN69toRFNbawCGulqI0X8M5Eve33N8jXUA76oAwxb8_yarcLqkrn6iQN5I/s320/lci-44-akal-pakal-first-among-equals.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>The latest in a long dynasty of mono-Blue Artifacts Matter guys, but this one seems downright weak in comparison to most of them. I'm not even sure it'd be worth a slot in most U/R Artifact decks. It just doesn't really do that much. Probably finds a home in Emry decks, where milling your artifacts is super relevant, but otherwise this just seems weak.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4-nFhqZkHmgB4t1SpgKxVX7Hae2sxvVczkd6M4tO4CPPWF73X1jkYkyFH5lv29CFxjdDg2M9Z0T_FffE8zf9l5LvsWlEX1zDzxMLC3VVbcKeLarprpQzvE064-4lNqkkWFrUXJ1uz6WSSiH3FcIbNnGmGICD5M2cM6b2HbW2JSY4RvdLBIRN21sMGx38/s1344/lci-47-braided-net.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="1344" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4-nFhqZkHmgB4t1SpgKxVX7Hae2sxvVczkd6M4tO4CPPWF73X1jkYkyFH5lv29CFxjdDg2M9Z0T_FffE8zf9l5LvsWlEX1zDzxMLC3VVbcKeLarprpQzvE064-4lNqkkWFrUXJ1uz6WSSiH3FcIbNnGmGICD5M2cM6b2HbW2JSY4RvdLBIRN21sMGx38/s320/lci-47-braided-net.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Hylda decks, maybe? Seems too durdly for anything else, but Hylda decks live for the durdle, so it should be fine there. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtxzCqbFhHY1JDVJ0101AyD07x-4mjQwZRxDwfQgcPH1Fmr9jg1bg8jQ58UjGeWTMzIRU0geiVg_MhHxKNguj-Qv8Cob_MV_WmpheYBaycvLPLk3sz_FFSlyNG6I8YpIWFYZlSrDp6lw_O7i4d_G49sqktaV8O5MNpUMPqP1NrpjLWGoXH0MSMyhCZjsU/s936/lci-52-deeproot-pilgrimage.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtxzCqbFhHY1JDVJ0101AyD07x-4mjQwZRxDwfQgcPH1Fmr9jg1bg8jQ58UjGeWTMzIRU0geiVg_MhHxKNguj-Qv8Cob_MV_WmpheYBaycvLPLk3sz_FFSlyNG6I8YpIWFYZlSrDp6lw_O7i4d_G49sqktaV8O5MNpUMPqP1NrpjLWGoXH0MSMyhCZjsU/s320/lci-52-deeproot-pilgrimage.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Holy shit, this would have been bonkers in Llorwyn. Tribal cards like this are boring to review, because they're basically auto-includes if your playing the tribe, and unplayable otherwise. But, yeah, this is crazy good; almost single-handedly has me itching to build either UW or UG Merfolk. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8j43qLkV0I2d84hANEAT_Km1WnVCYQ3zaEZQgOolovlndrKzntVRCI__1rwPhGajI7qvPafnrzkCq4RAY4uHyLeH3dHV6ldoak1k7NJA-dJh7WOn2mH0s3vhs37X68HZHAl60fGRPRPxoxagtiiomNiZ0z2FVajftSK7z26BJijN7r5dU8zzEiSFKINQ/s1344/lci-56-the-everflowing-well.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="1344" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8j43qLkV0I2d84hANEAT_Km1WnVCYQ3zaEZQgOolovlndrKzntVRCI__1rwPhGajI7qvPafnrzkCq4RAY4uHyLeH3dHV6ldoak1k7NJA-dJh7WOn2mH0s3vhs37X68HZHAl60fGRPRPxoxagtiiomNiZ0z2FVajftSK7z26BJijN7r5dU8zzEiSFKINQ/s320/lci-56-the-everflowing-well.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Three mana to mill 2 and draw 2 seems quite good, and it doubly counts as a Historic spell for things like Jhoira. And artifact decks typically have a very easy time getting a lot of little cheap artifact cards into their graveyard. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4CD01WWxmxM_xMCQeB_xLQry8TQxNEXEkaO3NteYk5QBgCzv2IYOI7X8UXlhESBgWeLINp_egFKACUvFQtLHhzf-37w2YKPV-M7Ftp9-96N0gUeZvNjxVmgw1HS7HEI9z0tvmvUI476pxIKnM2VISFpG0VfF23WfjrmLZL7BROW1-7m6lWI43_NwT_N0/s936/lci-61-kitesail-larcenist.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4CD01WWxmxM_xMCQeB_xLQry8TQxNEXEkaO3NteYk5QBgCzv2IYOI7X8UXlhESBgWeLINp_egFKACUvFQtLHhzf-37w2YKPV-M7Ftp9-96N0gUeZvNjxVmgw1HS7HEI9z0tvmvUI476pxIKnM2VISFpG0VfF23WfjrmLZL7BROW1-7m6lWI43_NwT_N0/s320/lci-61-kitesail-larcenist.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Way too easy to just kill this thing and get your stuff back. Cool card, but not a good EDH card.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGKeOlM70CnMxHNZaz2YJC4cygteZsHhXcpBo2D_E1sUDrbpgugg0CcUXzey8vbql7KZY73itawFJpGGq9nAVx8_7am7_bwPRG0kwBVoa1XjX4iRwSk-1aqbCupAGoXfEV6b9UJfFv2wh83yymgtBrXDzLuweto-ovy2_vYIQmxGwQf8eEufi-dnLw9L8/s936/lci-63-malcolm-alluring-scoundrel.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGKeOlM70CnMxHNZaz2YJC4cygteZsHhXcpBo2D_E1sUDrbpgugg0CcUXzey8vbql7KZY73itawFJpGGq9nAVx8_7am7_bwPRG0kwBVoa1XjX4iRwSk-1aqbCupAGoXfEV6b9UJfFv2wh83yymgtBrXDzLuweto-ovy2_vYIQmxGwQf8eEufi-dnLw9L8/s320/lci-63-malcolm-alluring-scoundrel.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Seems cute until you realize this is just going to be mono-Blue Extra Turns.dec. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNsFATvr6Ca1afy4N_KZc6IZBjhDwe7e6qWPJDege0VTtOMvCvixOvJU612C7UL4ia_DiN4BOxE-rYVG6RjRj38o7mwHGfmhxUtHBaLiO2J4SmNbSvPaWqqU7nNjDTtHCR_Z360NFu8K-6FLH4bQX1yzSyPQHgAS4UC42oAeB23LspmZxivl2xaIccSeE/s936/lci-80-subterranean-schooner.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNsFATvr6Ca1afy4N_KZc6IZBjhDwe7e6qWPJDege0VTtOMvCvixOvJU612C7UL4ia_DiN4BOxE-rYVG6RjRj38o7mwHGfmhxUtHBaLiO2J4SmNbSvPaWqqU7nNjDTtHCR_Z360NFu8K-6FLH4bQX1yzSyPQHgAS4UC42oAeB23LspmZxivl2xaIccSeE/s320/lci-80-subterranean-schooner.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>I'm still not a fan of Vehicles but this one seems aggressively stated enough, and the fact that you get value out of the act of crewing it is a nice benefit as well. I actually like this one.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGLEwusOZv2-f-RiCMlSwTvkSOCPbMJWCsMVkfHZBrzCV7QqztdLZAwaZh2TjJkBhAHovu8XfSm_U1eIjZP6nsK2Ca2ygMFusp9QN_RY6fgCeUV79dcFR_j8UdfplUHHyELDCttGV3ucYPjCt5frxR1wuCd4gCkJDfo5sWRQKnvClZnXubc4LLdrJHC4/s936/lci-81-tishana-s-tidebinder.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGLEwusOZv2-f-RiCMlSwTvkSOCPbMJWCsMVkfHZBrzCV7QqztdLZAwaZh2TjJkBhAHovu8XfSm_U1eIjZP6nsK2Ca2ygMFusp9QN_RY6fgCeUV79dcFR_j8UdfplUHHyELDCttGV3ucYPjCt5frxR1wuCd4gCkJDfo5sWRQKnvClZnXubc4LLdrJHC4/s320/lci-81-tishana-s-tidebinder.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><p>Meh. Boring.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2KoymiCt9aEZ50jrQ-AYmRX48dbOvRM5DYFLFzKQb6OYTzXRp0AP1iKczLjwH1q-Kj3Obia2n5e71zrpu6z5t0sBKhFc_NPTib0hojI2s5Hv63o5QxpASOzTMwwHLpJZMFz_hz0UiRpSRgtm8JEmeeFpNhFbDSsKY1Oa8xBdZIOw8tGSUCBTAf2sdojU/s936/lci-94-bringer-of-the-last-gift.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2KoymiCt9aEZ50jrQ-AYmRX48dbOvRM5DYFLFzKQb6OYTzXRp0AP1iKczLjwH1q-Kj3Obia2n5e71zrpu6z5t0sBKhFc_NPTib0hojI2s5Hv63o5QxpASOzTMwwHLpJZMFz_hz0UiRpSRgtm8JEmeeFpNhFbDSsKY1Oa8xBdZIOw8tGSUCBTAf2sdojU/s320/lci-94-bringer-of-the-last-gift.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>So it's basically a Living Death attached to a 6/6 flying body. And it's a Vampire Demon, so that's rad. Yeah this is cool, and for once I am actually glad they put the "if you cast it" clause on there. Looping Living Death over and over is annoying. Anyway, cool card, but the eight mana price tag is probably going to kill almost all enthusiasm for this outside of very casual, battlecruiser-y playgroups.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNeVM-Ligm0u2xVBTOeMoYMF48Qpjzi1827tbk1wAHylIY-uOcBKj30JGy8SPjfkXUmwIc5IaYjME-rOaZ9gfa2YbUPLIrnIQU5lbgSaT4tyhLJv-4Zbl0J1efvDeKlcfibsSctO_-WWN-iI8pXLthdr1ATF5DzV-VJzmZBR6bNjIrQLVAVsqXbu-Qj2k/s936/lci-98-corpses-of-the-lost.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNeVM-Ligm0u2xVBTOeMoYMF48Qpjzi1827tbk1wAHylIY-uOcBKj30JGy8SPjfkXUmwIc5IaYjME-rOaZ9gfa2YbUPLIrnIQU5lbgSaT4tyhLJv-4Zbl0J1efvDeKlcfibsSctO_-WWN-iI8pXLthdr1ATF5DzV-VJzmZBR6bNjIrQLVAVsqXbu-Qj2k/s320/lci-98-corpses-of-the-lost.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>I want to get off Mr. Bones' Wild Ride.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZMfpqpF9d9NDo9gPcscbyLpudP2p134FsSzV7-hlTb_jkCOhFYPPf15r49NPaRyB2054CNaSgmSrX19IEfDtKHSn5oB6ToVupfRT3-jB-tAt06ix3OU6bqnyYUOTZ_HNk5nakWgI3vtv9DJc_P2BsVFmCJltEYlzLMXgF3kpePNCM0vutMGls8sXoovU/s936/lci-113-preacher-of-the-schism.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZMfpqpF9d9NDo9gPcscbyLpudP2p134FsSzV7-hlTb_jkCOhFYPPf15r49NPaRyB2054CNaSgmSrX19IEfDtKHSn5oB6ToVupfRT3-jB-tAt06ix3OU6bqnyYUOTZ_HNk5nakWgI3vtv9DJc_P2BsVFmCJltEYlzLMXgF3kpePNCM0vutMGls8sXoovU/s320/lci-113-preacher-of-the-schism.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Very good vampire, will absolutely play this in Edgar Markov or any other vampire deck. If you're a bit behind the 1/1 lifelinker probably isn't going to catch you up all on its own but it helps. If you are ahead on life, the draw effect is quite nice.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Y6kor3FJGOBxeITf41b68Vi7OuY9K70bvatmguWljEyZYEedEKapbonrZZpc0KtbtL9r3Sc7SP2ytHkbZVRUp8E7OgeyF0ETe0KYSzIo15B_NMa_2LUk8_RLYHiRpEhv-yoN-fSly_p8U_RO6Sx92cMTum6XpkDJJLdyE6NYUholB9z9cjMMe-i7ryg/s936/lci-115-queen-s-bay-paladin.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Y6kor3FJGOBxeITf41b68Vi7OuY9K70bvatmguWljEyZYEedEKapbonrZZpc0KtbtL9r3Sc7SP2ytHkbZVRUp8E7OgeyF0ETe0KYSzIo15B_NMa_2LUk8_RLYHiRpEhv-yoN-fSly_p8U_RO6Sx92cMTum6XpkDJJLdyE6NYUholB9z9cjMMe-i7ryg/s320/lci-115-queen-s-bay-paladin.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Vampire-specific reanimation is fine and dandy, but most vampire decks have a low enough curve that you'll often be reanimating a 2 or 3 mana guy with this and it just kinda doesn't seem all that worth it to me. That said, I can envision going Bloodline Keeper or Nocturnus on four, it eats removal immediately, and you just play this on T5 and now they basically have to have a boardwipe or your just way ahead. Eh, still, I think this is very medium.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4DjTm5kONqnT2uWjM-E4tSKwyjRFVZL2MDIQrfhp7Z11XKUPATV8qGAkOxogbYMiBJPfTLg4trgq2J0QLBRZDqqvO1o5xoWg4yh0VWe9HUf3DKrYmeggq3Adx7A4CCUTTU00y1V-5IuBZvvaznTs3hyW-FS7jopjfoElu6n-5w6MoiEfnLaDazYzQMAM/s936/lci-121-souls-of-the-lost.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4DjTm5kONqnT2uWjM-E4tSKwyjRFVZL2MDIQrfhp7Z11XKUPATV8qGAkOxogbYMiBJPfTLg4trgq2J0QLBRZDqqvO1o5xoWg4yh0VWe9HUf3DKrYmeggq3Adx7A4CCUTTU00y1V-5IuBZvvaznTs3hyW-FS7jopjfoElu6n-5w6MoiEfnLaDazYzQMAM/s320/lci-121-souls-of-the-lost.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Oh, cool, Tarmogoyf's ghost. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimo1Z34zlNddOXNldBZA74Y9bMeA_AGgyyC6O47VtsUT-uA1LM1Ks7LILwRQeuGcibpPE_w1tUVoftH0NNAAeTQILgi-Ok0d1xyk9_Xysky13m4mK6ZjWOlRjFYUM7m2N5-d6PS6H6M8V7uJ4xTVHpw1sziW8LkhzCOGM98dvYjR7uS3zuS-QMKRdzGto/s936/lci-122-stalactite-stalker.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimo1Z34zlNddOXNldBZA74Y9bMeA_AGgyyC6O47VtsUT-uA1LM1Ks7LILwRQeuGcibpPE_w1tUVoftH0NNAAeTQILgi-Ok0d1xyk9_Xysky13m4mK6ZjWOlRjFYUM7m2N5-d6PS6H6M8V7uJ4xTVHpw1sziW8LkhzCOGM98dvYjR7uS3zuS-QMKRdzGto/s320/lci-122-stalactite-stalker.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Doesn't seem all that relevant to EDH especially since most goblin decks seem to be mono-Red now. Of course you can play this outside of Goblin Tribal decks, but I don't see a compelling reason to do so. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJylbuleAe2jXX7Pz1c2WedDeXm1qNq5idabzVPINgHjuNnJAR1NmQYyhvqqsnr6Rv-RI22S2Laci5Y0jisU_avtQD9-jl7UfEiCfp3LcEqSqTlZ3jluxy1c4_uR-ywWMawgrz4sAAObYVVcXJSDKRTOjHwagecsn3jsnQv1EqZ1ZtBI40TTehtK3nIZA/s936/lci-123-starving-revenant.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJylbuleAe2jXX7Pz1c2WedDeXm1qNq5idabzVPINgHjuNnJAR1NmQYyhvqqsnr6Rv-RI22S2Laci5Y0jisU_avtQD9-jl7UfEiCfp3LcEqSqTlZ3jluxy1c4_uR-ywWMawgrz4sAAObYVVcXJSDKRTOjHwagecsn3jsnQv1EqZ1ZtBI40TTehtK3nIZA/s320/lci-123-starving-revenant.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>I can see this being decent in many Golgari/Sultai self-mill shells. I like it but I wouldn't bend over backwards to play it. If it just happens to slot in somewhere, great, but if not, no biggie. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHe5h2ybiQtreTKZS-zIV1IHEBVXugN_AlVkk2O6Ea9lSzNuZ6Qg2YJzEmFKMwk_CCVSWtjDctVOSUDJrljNEIPRlkAWgVLl5wqARtZdeMqTFlUvLtc44-xE1BcooiC17GKkM-MaRvkeCNKUu-F0WsAAW0AGLfylQMoGJHKkTYGWVuRZP2ilccumdEk0M/s1344/lci-126-tarrian-s-journal.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="1344" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHe5h2ybiQtreTKZS-zIV1IHEBVXugN_AlVkk2O6Ea9lSzNuZ6Qg2YJzEmFKMwk_CCVSWtjDctVOSUDJrljNEIPRlkAWgVLl5wqARtZdeMqTFlUvLtc44-xE1BcooiC17GKkM-MaRvkeCNKUu-F0WsAAW0AGLfylQMoGJHKkTYGWVuRZP2ilccumdEk0M/w400-h279/lci-126-tarrian-s-journal.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>I appreciate this for the cleverness and uniqueness of the design, but discarding my whole entire hand is just a non-starter for me, unless of course the phrase in continued by "draw 7". But this WILL get disenchanted in response to you attempting to activate it, and it will be devastating.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFgCtrfiEUmkCT5FYmgVPR5A6z47LwMC9CkacavWd4Tsj006xcmNxN4_IEuol4zvlY5UEctFKgKz6sycM_2Pf7TJGYeG6BfH8DeoDeZU1cIrdQw82neXGTiGqpeYTwtyV62j6BYDF9UGK9s25BHTkhyphenhyphenrJSHPmDAAxIw2Quh7HF22vSx-twvyCGdy_is00/s936/lci-127-terror-tide.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFgCtrfiEUmkCT5FYmgVPR5A6z47LwMC9CkacavWd4Tsj006xcmNxN4_IEuol4zvlY5UEctFKgKz6sycM_2Pf7TJGYeG6BfH8DeoDeZU1cIrdQw82neXGTiGqpeYTwtyV62j6BYDF9UGK9s25BHTkhyphenhyphenrJSHPmDAAxIw2Quh7HF22vSx-twvyCGdy_is00/s320/lci-127-terror-tide.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><p>This will be great for my Gitrog deck on Arena, but it plain sucks in comparison to Damnation/Toxic Deluge/et al in paper Magic. It's probably a fine budget replacement if those are out of reach, of course. Again, probably best in a Golgari/Sultai self-mill situation.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioIrD-shEa0wSv1xKj-2K2vIccD2SB_ft7ViHP6mUs8RYMczFjNCb-j57YsNvZji2mKTjKR1LpYo69AdSvFCgVfe97momM6geV27JYgv-Rszqs0rDPLbAeLBkDq4P_RPDhi1Dclx_K93vinWWpvYdSjwd_hRtytlyP29fMKHFIARWG90ffVKxmCGQ-m-A/s1344/lci-135-brass-s-tunnel-grinder.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="1344" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioIrD-shEa0wSv1xKj-2K2vIccD2SB_ft7ViHP6mUs8RYMczFjNCb-j57YsNvZji2mKTjKR1LpYo69AdSvFCgVfe97momM6geV27JYgv-Rszqs0rDPLbAeLBkDq4P_RPDhi1Dclx_K93vinWWpvYdSjwd_hRtytlyP29fMKHFIARWG90ffVKxmCGQ-m-A/w400-h279/lci-135-brass-s-tunnel-grinder.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Working backwards from the land side, we see a very, very cool ability on the land. Giving every spell you cast with it Discover is just beautiful. The trick is, flipping it before you're too far behind for it to matter. With the ETB effect, you're almost guaranteed to get the first Bore counter right away, but how quickly can you get the next two? The answer to that question, I feel, will determine the playability of this. It seems worth trying to make it work, though. That payoff is real.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyVe_vlk6QUe9uiXLhAwcblovqhJil2D8j0zsFushf5eJvtbILr53qNpOUiUhhWRJ3ry-h576KVdfhwvSMKic2bUinXVjQmqN3ROHuZ_EXaY5kEzd-dKCDialBYbI3p5tNxjo9oqo2BdYA7p5u8BZHNCUVWrE2DCVzjEEgc2sB6m-0g6kaJUXU0WVPqtQ/s936/lci-137-breeches-eager-pillager.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyVe_vlk6QUe9uiXLhAwcblovqhJil2D8j0zsFushf5eJvtbILr53qNpOUiUhhWRJ3ry-h576KVdfhwvSMKic2bUinXVjQmqN3ROHuZ_EXaY5kEzd-dKCDialBYbI3p5tNxjo9oqo2BdYA7p5u8BZHNCUVWrE2DCVzjEEgc2sB6m-0g6kaJUXU0WVPqtQ/s320/lci-137-breeches-eager-pillager.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>If only this said "whenever a Pirate <i>or Goblin</i> attacks...", I'd be much more interested, but then again that's probably because I'm more interested in Goblins as a tribe than Pirates. Pirates are WAY cooler, but so far MtG hasn't reached the point where I personally feel Pirates to be a compelling tribe to build, but I do hope they keep expanding the tribe. Anyway, this one seems solid.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbBg7JNvX1ayS9HvY3mHGT2JEuyiny0-ky_1v8KfblXFlRSfLp4rd1549Apb3mM1TjECM8zJ-FTaf-z58g0zDuuhtNOPaHYuga5jpGW-y85QMQtV7zBt_M0A4jWABY_qe0_AlddnVl1vdXQjD2bDOWItlPHMFLYafIzQo7NLwR5W01Rx7h01Vt__tNdcw/s1344/lci-145-dire-flail.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="1344" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbBg7JNvX1ayS9HvY3mHGT2JEuyiny0-ky_1v8KfblXFlRSfLp4rd1549Apb3mM1TjECM8zJ-FTaf-z58g0zDuuhtNOPaHYuga5jpGW-y85QMQtV7zBt_M0A4jWABY_qe0_AlddnVl1vdXQjD2bDOWItlPHMFLYafIzQo7NLwR5W01Rx7h01Vt__tNdcw/s320/lci-145-dire-flail.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>There are so many bomb ass equipment cards in Magic now, I feel like it's one of the most crowded card types for highly playable cards, so most equipment need to really have something special going on to warrant their inclusion. This is actually probably more likely to get used in just generic aggro decks than in things like, say, Boros equipment voltron. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzTzKJAR7RzGPybzeDTYP00NcA8wYkSJs6IdMGuVIn3ff9KO58ctdy2OuNyrO6YOjB-d3dMSjJK28-oQju5PoV8BdWWz6qop_VTlYDcD4U1rQ6TCcr3jIfHXKptGO6SYJ5FtY0dlJflfDeZTGLkFaZr4usjYlimhLMYwjrKH-YCqhaE8HO14lD1Zw_JUo/s936/lci-153-hit-the-mother-lode.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzTzKJAR7RzGPybzeDTYP00NcA8wYkSJs6IdMGuVIn3ff9KO58ctdy2OuNyrO6YOjB-d3dMSjJK28-oQju5PoV8BdWWz6qop_VTlYDcD4U1rQ6TCcr3jIfHXKptGO6SYJ5FtY0dlJflfDeZTGLkFaZr4usjYlimhLMYwjrKH-YCqhaE8HO14lD1Zw_JUo/s320/lci-153-hit-the-mother-lode.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Badass. Surprised this isn't a Mythic. Fantastic card for Maelstrom Wanderer, as it costs 7, slotting it nicely into MW's cascade range, and giving you the chance to hit something <i>even bigger</i>. If you miss and hit a Signet or whatever, you get a bunch of Treasure to try and cast something else. Gambling is fun, especially when it comes with a sort of insurance against whiffing.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuMQETJkKKvvjYl-Mm8Q75qbu_GXdiAEGXwe2JdrxjLsqSAd93pSfIG1jbjCoXL0db_nVxs_4XeKKYowaArpg70F_rAQTAWcKHemyGxyzZ-rhiS0fny9MJ4eVyz0rJgphizQ34OoFoI62Lbs8d9kpNYccfk71YavWDCSIwSYnSdOuyqeAO1Doa3a8jcq4/s936/lci-156-inti-seneschal-of-the-sun.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuMQETJkKKvvjYl-Mm8Q75qbu_GXdiAEGXwe2JdrxjLsqSAd93pSfIG1jbjCoXL0db_nVxs_4XeKKYowaArpg70F_rAQTAWcKHemyGxyzZ-rhiS0fny9MJ4eVyz0rJgphizQ34OoFoI62Lbs8d9kpNYccfk71YavWDCSIwSYnSdOuyqeAO1Doa3a8jcq4/s320/lci-156-inti-seneschal-of-the-sun.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Wow. Impressive design here. It's aggresive and cheap, but attacks well, and has built in card draw (ish), to keep the gas on. Yet again, I'm less certain how it will fare in proper EDH but in the 1v1 format of Historic Brawl I think mono-Red players will be happy to give this a shot. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXzllx6l4uCns6Dj2AtGA-p8zJCPsAaG3NC0oIu84tNvTJgDw50F562QGnx7ZSxNgFBwdK5EOEMh5VCnqjbKyEAhDm2-mmtIMaO3ENpCNuwL4CBeJOM3eUBz_usz7teD6UMhdqeF_uZd5p80yqlejpdDv5YF_PzpuV3NTEHKzhyphenhyphencnRXU4-1AHAsbZ6Hpg/s936/lci-157-magmatic-galleon.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXzllx6l4uCns6Dj2AtGA-p8zJCPsAaG3NC0oIu84tNvTJgDw50F562QGnx7ZSxNgFBwdK5EOEMh5VCnqjbKyEAhDm2-mmtIMaO3ENpCNuwL4CBeJOM3eUBz_usz7teD6UMhdqeF_uZd5p80yqlejpdDv5YF_PzpuV3NTEHKzhyphenhyphencnRXU4-1AHAsbZ6Hpg/s320/lci-157-magmatic-galleon.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>And we have another Vehicle that I don't hate! Curious. I like the Blue one we looked at a bit more, but this is solid. Five mana for a 5/5 and 5 damage ETB is not a stellar rate, but it is solid. The "Treasure Trample" ability is weirdly cool, too. Good fit for Jolene, Prosper, or just about anything that cares about Treasure tokens, and wants more multi-purpose cards.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid76mrWrqUw9LrE3FyQr-ZALZw0wu4mnTZh7XpYc6iTpkIi0CNO6eKHGUvSd4qtZ10G4XKMimLsroQ5zZcNbYh_ObVfGE089QzmA__ru2lI-dRSodUOot23Gf_Vuhu9fYYfle8cf3L5egVWjUezbyfJV9VTV-3YJYM8tvBGd9EIZ96QTwrWcQBy7Lo1JY/s936/lci-161-poetic-ingenuity.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid76mrWrqUw9LrE3FyQr-ZALZw0wu4mnTZh7XpYc6iTpkIi0CNO6eKHGUvSd4qtZ10G4XKMimLsroQ5zZcNbYh_ObVfGE089QzmA__ru2lI-dRSodUOot23Gf_Vuhu9fYYfle8cf3L5egVWjUezbyfJV9VTV-3YJYM8tvBGd9EIZ96QTwrWcQBy7Lo1JY/s320/lci-161-poetic-ingenuity.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Ah yes, Dinosaurs are notorious for hiding their hoards of treasure and gold... oh wait, that's dragons. Well, we have at least one Dino-Dragon hybrid creature in the set, so I guess it's fine. Weird card, though. Really wants you to run a lot of Artifact ramp in your Dino deck, which I guess is fine, but the payoff doesn't seem all that inspired.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEXlAIicptCMDPyt6iIF5bfT9aQMNydI0AHE40rbyu1_HsNiCGedGSz7JeqRvx2-nmiRxJ2KL7LgrkHYQ5k22KVZmzG7qTqhIl7ea9O_-wieiLVqFOSp98ikKbqEcu5LOphyphenhyphenw2egUX36vQE8QAUaBmvNKlcU4wjylldugXWzxVEbFEjsLjV8N_wWHoMR0/s936/lci-171-trumpeting-carnosaur.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEXlAIicptCMDPyt6iIF5bfT9aQMNydI0AHE40rbyu1_HsNiCGedGSz7JeqRvx2-nmiRxJ2KL7LgrkHYQ5k22KVZmzG7qTqhIl7ea9O_-wieiLVqFOSp98ikKbqEcu5LOphyphenhyphenw2egUX36vQE8QAUaBmvNKlcU4wjylldugXWzxVEbFEjsLjV8N_wWHoMR0/s320/lci-171-trumpeting-carnosaur.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>He's a big ol' boy. Nothing too noteworthy here, just a fat body with some extra value tacked on. Will be solid in just about any Dinosaur list, but kinda falls short elsewhere; for instance, I don't think I'd even bother with this in Maelstrom Wanderer. There are better, splashier 6-drops.<p><br /></p>Thaumaturgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07734372825472901455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461869454202308168.post-67816586806482144002023-11-11T23:26:00.000-08:002023-11-14T18:36:30.987-08:00Lost Caverns of Ixalan EDH Set Review<p> Well folks, it's been a while but we're going to try to get through a new EDH set review, this time for Lost Caverns of Ixalan. The original Ixalan block should have been a bigger hit with me, as the setting for it hits all the right notes. Pirates, Vampires, Dinosaurs, Merfolk and more, all wrapped up in an Aztec-flavored aesthetic. I honestly think it succeeds far better than settings such as Amonkhet and Kaladesh at "Magic-ifying" the real-world influences it draws upon. The first Ixalan block also seemed to have been in a good place as far as power level goes, with several absolute bangers for the EDH format, but few (if any) overly pushed problematic cards. Even Growing Rites of Itlimoc provided a budget alternative to Gaea's Cradle that is definitely playable, but far from breaking anything. Yet somehow the first block kinda flew under my radar in a lot of ways. I actually play a TON of Ixalan cards in Historic Brawl on Arena - stuff like River's Rebuke, Settle the Wreckage, Tendershoot Dryad and many others, but I'm always mildly surprised when I realize one of these cards was from an Ixalan set. Like, going back to the XLN and RIX set spoilers NOW and looking back, yeah I see a TON of cards I'm either playing or would like to be if I had them. And yet, somehow, I just never seemed to have noticed all those Ixalan cards creeping into lists and quietly becoming staples. </p><p>No matter! We're here today to hopefully prevent this new Ixalan set from sneaking past us this time. </p><p>So for the first part of this review instead of just going by color and starting with White, I think we'll just take a look at the Mythic Rares of the set. And in particular we'll start by looking at the new cycle of Gods.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7yGXQ_9atJ06-aMu73QsvtmVthoP4fFg5dyIg49uC_-my9H8G6gaB-aRAw909-YpKYNU9v-frl1sn89viN1IFBc46TNeB0tglCRzbL6Kn8mJ7KcDtTqUXh_VNZXwEzOSPTB-erpD-pkTt_unSmw286W2OZPvgMRqfS8lnE7K59gH92rR3Us0wKfne_yY/s1344/lci-26-ojer-taq-deepest-foundation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="1344" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7yGXQ_9atJ06-aMu73QsvtmVthoP4fFg5dyIg49uC_-my9H8G6gaB-aRAw909-YpKYNU9v-frl1sn89viN1IFBc46TNeB0tglCRzbL6Kn8mJ7KcDtTqUXh_VNZXwEzOSPTB-erpD-pkTt_unSmw286W2OZPvgMRqfS8lnE7K59gH92rR3Us0wKfne_yY/w400-h279/lci-26-ojer-taq-deepest-foundation.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaVtstW3xM828CUzHWxHI_Of-uC0UrxWUEhNifHPNMZH1rWD9_lJZZMJwAUrgwtJOyrbGdXAns0h4fXybROP35GRkbWmC-xSxgYjzEHAxVR9VYLjS1rcgspbYVqgkbOY7ifIDVTaVSLkKSRk-HujHOuDK9KsNa4wMKt34QkSJniB5AbnSgNkPoVI1rK24/s1344/lci-67-ojer-pakpatiq-deepest-epoch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="1344" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaVtstW3xM828CUzHWxHI_Of-uC0UrxWUEhNifHPNMZH1rWD9_lJZZMJwAUrgwtJOyrbGdXAns0h4fXybROP35GRkbWmC-xSxgYjzEHAxVR9VYLjS1rcgspbYVqgkbOY7ifIDVTaVSLkKSRk-HujHOuDK9KsNa4wMKt34QkSJniB5AbnSgNkPoVI1rK24/w400-h279/lci-67-ojer-pakpatiq-deepest-epoch.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1_sgE1lJRZrZWJATSV51JciNyKBG0spGhrqfZk_V-r1UJ4epD5We-qPPHEnpjbUE4sp-pgg28cOwv6yArkoN7Yh3vrrTB6UbZ2GmofxMnJh48GnZdtqZI7qjlFXHeKv1DQEwttyNWUxEbEWhQ9A4m9uUqWic561Z5hD30PQW48xyumfHmqhX2g7I9StU/s1344/lci-88-aclazotz-deepest-betrayal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="1344" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1_sgE1lJRZrZWJATSV51JciNyKBG0spGhrqfZk_V-r1UJ4epD5We-qPPHEnpjbUE4sp-pgg28cOwv6yArkoN7Yh3vrrTB6UbZ2GmofxMnJh48GnZdtqZI7qjlFXHeKv1DQEwttyNWUxEbEWhQ9A4m9uUqWic561Z5hD30PQW48xyumfHmqhX2g7I9StU/w400-h279/lci-88-aclazotz-deepest-betrayal.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN-6QkV9_vwk94EpjU7dZjOjDUtplVCz4AfvnDWa7Hh6Qsh3Zl6jNULQng8vv1KjhZNfsULzB9JDNz89aapND-65XkSTY8kYYiE1PWuHKsRvQ5nv7HKJe9YFuvsSTagyjjNSjbM9WwqC3165DAsfCsraAOgdmNnsQFjvtU_KWnF5TstdNvFLk0lCm4zXA/s1344/lci-158-ojer-axonil-deepest-might.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="1344" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN-6QkV9_vwk94EpjU7dZjOjDUtplVCz4AfvnDWa7Hh6Qsh3Zl6jNULQng8vv1KjhZNfsULzB9JDNz89aapND-65XkSTY8kYYiE1PWuHKsRvQ5nv7HKJe9YFuvsSTagyjjNSjbM9WwqC3165DAsfCsraAOgdmNnsQFjvtU_KWnF5TstdNvFLk0lCm4zXA/w400-h279/lci-158-ojer-axonil-deepest-might.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhheB10XqKAD3EaUc5c25pOhbj6YycTyfzKyjsHQXkwwbgAN5bc9G7aGRI8fAAQRfxMEwnNnjXDvTC2GT7UwE7YOUGdgnfu-t1OiqnpWMuxfvG-2HjDzsUhCehvfYX8IgC7Gn6oM-U-etDbvdKk1SHtGhvHgqs2jAR3RTBWLFnIt0SP-VQAaKsMi596nm8/s1344/lci-204-ojer-kaslem-deepest-growth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="1344" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhheB10XqKAD3EaUc5c25pOhbj6YycTyfzKyjsHQXkwwbgAN5bc9G7aGRI8fAAQRfxMEwnNnjXDvTC2GT7UwE7YOUGdgnfu-t1OiqnpWMuxfvG-2HjDzsUhCehvfYX8IgC7Gn6oM-U-etDbvdKk1SHtGhvHgqs2jAR3RTBWLFnIt0SP-VQAaKsMi596nm8/w400-h279/lci-204-ojer-kaslem-deepest-growth.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> So, essentially each one of these gods is a mono-colored creature with some splashy effect, and when it dies, it transforms into a land. The land comes into play untapped and taps for the appropriate color. The land side has no further special abilities except the one that transforms it back into the god side, once some small condition has been met.<p></p><p>Assuming we're considering these as commanders first and foremost the big question is, how often is it better to just command zone your god when it dies rather than let it become a land and hope you can meet the condition to flip it? The requirements aren't terribly stringent and tend to play into what the God itself does - for example, the white one <i>triples</i> you token production effects so it assumes you should have 3 expendable dorks to attack with to flip the land back into a god. Probably very doable, too, unless the god happened to die to a board wipe... then maybe you wanna think about just command zoning it. </p><p>But thinking about it further, how valuable IS the ability to skirt commander tax in this fashion? I'm not certain, but it doesn't feel like a deciding factor to me. I think the better way to evaluate these is to mainly ignore the whole DFC land-flipping aspect and weigh them solely on their front side effects and consider the <i>potential</i> of flipping them into a land and then right back to a god again as added value. Something you don't take into account in the initial evaluation but is a very nice bonus if it works out for you in actual play. That said, if it turns out that ability actually works more consistently than I assume and these guys turn out to be very annoying to get rid of, then obviously that changes the math significantly. </p><p>Of course one other thing to consider is that these are monocolored commanders, which is not nearly as big a handicap as it was back in the day, but it is still absolutely going to impact their popularity and effectiveness to some degree. </p><p>But lets go ahead and evaluate them individually as cards now. </p><p>Ojer Taq is likely a trap. It's going to stir up some buzz because it triples something we're used to seeing at best doubled. Token decks have long sought to capitalize on cards like Doubling Season and Anointed Procession to really power up their various token-makers. So tripling them instead is just, like, 50% better right? Maybe but not really. The real draw is simply having one of these effects in the command zone. But, while mono-White tokens certainly is a thing you can already do, I'm not convinced tripling vs doubling is all that significant, and also the guy is just MAD expensive at six mana. If this god where Selesnya instead of mono-White I think we might be singing a different tune here, but despite the immediate "wow" factor of seeing something we <i>kinda </i>haven't seen before, this is just going to be an okayish commander. </p><p>Ojer Pakpatiq is the blue one and it does blue things. But it does them weirdly. It's mono-Blue and it very clearly wants you to play a ton of Instants (one of the rare cases we have a commander that just specifically wants the Instant card type, but doesn't care one whit about Sorceries). But Rebound is a pretty worthless effect to apply to counterspells - which is basically what most Blue Instants do. Though I should mention it is at least a good deal better with modular "swiss army knife" countermagic like Cryptic Command or Sublime Epiphany, because when the card rebounds on the next turn you can choose modes other than "counter a spell" so it still does something rather than just fizzling. But still the challenge remains of how to build a mono-Blue deck that cares about Instants very specifically but doesn't want just a glut of counterspell knockoffs. Sure you can run some, but you're not getting much value out of your commander that way, so why not just play Baral or something? Personally I'm just not seeing the draw here, but as much as I like Blue, I'm not THAT kind of Blue player, so perhaps I'm missing something.</p><p>Aclazot, Deepest Betrayal firstly betrays the established naming convention. I'm sure there's a story-driven reason behind this but as the Magic story, which has always been a bit dodgy at best, has taken multiple nose-dives in quality in recent years, I couldn't be fucked to find out what that reason is. Anyway, as to the card itself, my first impression is that, my God, this thing has a novella in its text box! My second impression is that this is definitely the hardest to flip back into a god once it become a land. Getting players down to one card in EDH is tough, because being hellbent in any format is undesirable but in EDH it is practically a death sentence. So, right off the bat, I'm reasonably certain this is one you will be command zoning when it dies like 90% of the time, at best. Once you fully parse what this guy does, though, he's pretty cool, but not something I would want to build a whole deck around. If this guy was just a non-legendary Vampire (instead of a bat) and was JUST the creature part without the DFC stuff, I'd windmill slam this into Edgar Markov without hesitation. But as cool as it is to have a card with the type "Bat God", this not being a Vampire actually sucks a big one. But, hey, maybe in another 20 years or so Bat Tribal will actually be a viable deck and this guy's day will come!</p><p>Ojer Axonil, the red god, seems pretty cool, actually. I'm not sold on it being a "real" deck but I kinda hope to be proven wrong on this one. I'm a fan of WotC's experiments in the area of shoring up Red's biggest weakness in EDH. It's not draw or ramp - no, it's that "Burn" is kinda terrible in EDH. We all know Red mages can count to 20 just fine but asking them to count to 120 is basically just bullying them. I kid, but seriously, filling your deck with Shocks and Lightning Bolts is objectively bad. But WotC seems committed to throwing some experimental designs at this problem and seeing if anything sticks. I don't think they've quite cracked it yet but they've definitely come a long way, so I support them just throwing things like this out and letting us try to make it work. While I'm not convinced this is going to be a big hit in EDH proper, I have a feeling this guy will be quite annoying in Historic Brawl on Arena.</p><p>We finish out the cycle with Ojer Kaslem, Deepest Growth. This guy certainly has that "wow! factor" going on, with a pretty sick combat damage trigger. Potentially cheating out a creature and land simultaneously seems pretty powerful, but the deckbuilding aspect could prove tricky to find the right balance. Otherwise, his 6/5 Trample for five mana is certainly acceptable, but not so over the top. Maybe they just felt they've gotten a bit too comfortable with pushed five-drop 6/6's in recent years, and are taking a tiny step back. Probably a good call, if so. That all said, I think this is another one that I'm sure to see a ton of on Arena, but in paper EDH I think green has maybe too many really pushed commanders now for this to really make a big splash. I also think he is probably going to be the easiest of the cycle to take advantage of his transform ability reliably in EDH, so that might be something to watch out for as well.</p><p>Moving on from the gods, we'll look at the rest of the mythic rares.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzSF_rJ_7QMeF9S4E605bpK2CqEO9CyRtkc8vWR3Hc_7j93sKJhofEJWqZyqLyB3_dUftrsSWmEIddhOzUWBbQDLPvzAb104V06kX20y9j8pmfRsjnZQWdpAqRQMejYQkD__Dlw17bA-qDQeZe1pm0oKphKfn3eQJX4wTDNIal4zmotmOksahPX-wkf6E/s936/lci-32-resplendent-angel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzSF_rJ_7QMeF9S4E605bpK2CqEO9CyRtkc8vWR3Hc_7j93sKJhofEJWqZyqLyB3_dUftrsSWmEIddhOzUWBbQDLPvzAb104V06kX20y9j8pmfRsjnZQWdpAqRQMejYQkD__Dlw17bA-qDQeZe1pm0oKphKfn3eQJX4wTDNIal4zmotmOksahPX-wkf6E/s320/lci-32-resplendent-angel.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><p>This is a reprint of course, I just featured it anyway cause I really dig the art.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvqp8tBFgtgwuJAQEZ65VxzFNezssO_7oSwa9rbgKZLaf7l-kK2oGz_8EvP3UKfOTVIcsFZx__OjILlIV_1NI4dg2M7pnuGwV9v928S_c4a245XJW16NWQYmfyiZ6fjmMaDUas5EViwYNsIKyX1NUzglZNeeRf1iEs5c4FRPJH8kmYICCLGryPBc-Bejs/s1344/lci-55-the-enigma-jewel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="1344" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvqp8tBFgtgwuJAQEZ65VxzFNezssO_7oSwa9rbgKZLaf7l-kK2oGz_8EvP3UKfOTVIcsFZx__OjILlIV_1NI4dg2M7pnuGwV9v928S_c4a245XJW16NWQYmfyiZ6fjmMaDUas5EViwYNsIKyX1NUzglZNeeRf1iEs5c4FRPJH8kmYICCLGryPBc-Bejs/s320/lci-55-the-enigma-jewel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I don't play combo much so I don't know specifically how, but I'm certain this will just be an annoying combo piece.<p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_xjxPmENMeUSZqAeF16mfZXG929kuwDZrFcvZSo6YnV0y10Gxn8op5IaoZ9W2edRE8EjbY2cgvtFjygPoJsbKwgbLG4VKPZi7rQ5YLXF4bu9mKTGc_4WjtYR8vbOCkjycb-cLVcVOVmnccyWyvAnmkWNVWQr1FjW_Sv8PzXTwhO33SXk6BYVku0TXKLg/s936/lci-92-bloodletter-of-aclazotz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_xjxPmENMeUSZqAeF16mfZXG929kuwDZrFcvZSo6YnV0y10Gxn8op5IaoZ9W2edRE8EjbY2cgvtFjygPoJsbKwgbLG4VKPZi7rQ5YLXF4bu9mKTGc_4WjtYR8vbOCkjycb-cLVcVOVmnccyWyvAnmkWNVWQr1FjW_Sv8PzXTwhO33SXk6BYVku0TXKLg/s320/lci-92-bloodletter-of-aclazotz.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><p>This is clearly Torbran, Thane of Red Fell reskinned as a black card. See the cost/stat similarities, for instance. Seems like an awesome card to me, but it's sure to be one of those kill-on-sight cards.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqxqTyAXDeaeb3Oi7KEydwNTQsvq7NRKWN6UzM4507QqkFiOmtwiikXrz3fSE2tIR11K-a1hEgznJ5CdXTEGfAsOC2OJpSKX2drqmlh3fqlPBfQabv8nWbAHNGeEmHG8rsvhry03fNPPI9RzyzFJ3eEOJ4iqitZwneO8CbM7Ab2KUW98SEoe2oJl7txt0/s936/lci-134-bonehoard-dracosaur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqxqTyAXDeaeb3Oi7KEydwNTQsvq7NRKWN6UzM4507QqkFiOmtwiikXrz3fSE2tIR11K-a1hEgznJ5CdXTEGfAsOC2OJpSKX2drqmlh3fqlPBfQabv8nWbAHNGeEmHG8rsvhry03fNPPI9RzyzFJ3eEOJ4iqitZwneO8CbM7Ab2KUW98SEoe2oJl7txt0/s320/lci-134-bonehoard-dracosaur.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><p>I've always liked Mark Zug's illustrations but I am not a fan of this one. Seems like a slam dunk card for Prosper decks, though, so I am quite happy about that.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaXuf1h_txvMhjHNjPYYeCIhxvgoEAzzI4tgh3efxVXhMm5KNq4eMXDrl7Psa1cOII123NCkJYujESQl4xYJBAnjco8Cy99xlC78oshGDY-2td1XQcw6Ir_bFbJ8UlgIzXkdug52v-UXeVDWBFZHbkLyol7abhZ0EKIrPcqzwFaDlGYW9yrHUamL4pPxg/s936/lci-185-ghalta-stampede-tyrant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaXuf1h_txvMhjHNjPYYeCIhxvgoEAzzI4tgh3efxVXhMm5KNq4eMXDrl7Psa1cOII123NCkJYujESQl4xYJBAnjco8Cy99xlC78oshGDY-2td1XQcw6Ir_bFbJ8UlgIzXkdug52v-UXeVDWBFZHbkLyol7abhZ0EKIrPcqzwFaDlGYW9yrHUamL4pPxg/s320/lci-185-ghalta-stampede-tyrant.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>HAHAHAHAHA! Are you for real?! Okay, now Ojer Kaslem makes a bit more sense. That ETB effect almost makes the fact that this is also a 12/12 trample for eight mana seem unremarkable. Nope, no one is going to be playing the Ojer on Arena - they're all gonna be playing this guy. This is <i>peak </i>Timmy Magic. <br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN7oJOyjwwoiGyqikgZCTO9NwKPtrsrusBu2mJT4I3eq6Nfk7l2pBAW1lVhSjnpFpmBMk5ZyPpM5vbvBnKa5YePIf0pLUderto3-VpwkuuZ3P3eMT63Q_xU_VK7Ksl5Y_gTC9KC23dbhpBD7qZlJe-YZqOUfNcwimVUWxTMJGFa1MNOKatS3UZXLqdzag/s936/lci-212-the-skullspore-nexus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN7oJOyjwwoiGyqikgZCTO9NwKPtrsrusBu2mJT4I3eq6Nfk7l2pBAW1lVhSjnpFpmBMk5ZyPpM5vbvBnKa5YePIf0pLUderto3-VpwkuuZ3P3eMT63Q_xU_VK7Ksl5Y_gTC9KC23dbhpBD7qZlJe-YZqOUfNcwimVUWxTMJGFa1MNOKatS3UZXLqdzag/s320/lci-212-the-skullspore-nexus.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><p>I honestly have no idea with this one. It's just such a weird card to me that I don't even want to risk an assessment that would essentially be nothing more than a wild-ass guess. I am curious to see, though.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNAhW8uwRMHCs2tr_l7ErE0w7_uSeMFJTJun2UB7dOdclVi-iIRGTSuKAsI2iL2iDksuneJs_zsS4Kn_CyYdb9GTbVGkEkFC3jmjiJFLjI4NhRJUiNn83t2SytUGWXFRYd9iULm-jXx_qomjOhyW-7C-vQxeCPUf68S_zTi737do87VN9Bt01Mt1A0tt8/s936/lci-189-huatli-poet-of-unity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNAhW8uwRMHCs2tr_l7ErE0w7_uSeMFJTJun2UB7dOdclVi-iIRGTSuKAsI2iL2iDksuneJs_zsS4Kn_CyYdb9GTbVGkEkFC3jmjiJFLjI4NhRJUiNn83t2SytUGWXFRYd9iULm-jXx_qomjOhyW-7C-vQxeCPUf68S_zTi737do87VN9Bt01Mt1A0tt8/s320/lci-189-huatli-poet-of-unity.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><p>Too long, didn't read. Seriously. The other side is even longer. I can't. Ain't nobody got time for that.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOf70sBHGMwxql25eH8AmjdhaF3u2IVcKzMxKkzZcu6tmfkBSxKD7o147hV5RVXx3TlJXPAiUtdCrYutZb7Qs_bVhZtV3yjV8hfJ5AaDMhXKSioqHj9wRAc5qmJxAmkj4yapiAepEne6dNfUZyjKw4KTPqah7RFgLrllmFsxmKwU3oULsQeRRHaubzMZA/s936/lci-235-the-mycotyrant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOf70sBHGMwxql25eH8AmjdhaF3u2IVcKzMxKkzZcu6tmfkBSxKD7o147hV5RVXx3TlJXPAiUtdCrYutZb7Qs_bVhZtV3yjV8hfJ5AaDMhXKSioqHj9wRAc5qmJxAmkj4yapiAepEne6dNfUZyjKw4KTPqah7RFgLrllmFsxmKwU3oULsQeRRHaubzMZA/s320/lci-235-the-mycotyrant.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Hey, look. I simply cannot be unbiased about a Golgari commander. Especially if it does typical Golgari things in an atypical way. Many of these are not as good as I want them to be but I usually try them out anyway. I will almost certainly be trying him out on Arena, and if he impresses me there, I'll certainly look forward to building him in paper, once I am able.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCEdpRKqQ9FZB1AQ5EQ65bSNxtY7ncrLT441nFBuOwnWr99_j30C81PoUCPaXUg8eWAw8Or_NMqPmufC6AkMOfDliinE0sB9sSGzAzuXXvyGw-EWpHMUyWGDd7gmACM0YOCjIBuYrtAmy4Q97dsmZG2vYbIHxfLOp70HJ8lT9GKXRVpD0t4grAEW_z5u0/s936/lci-238-quintorius-kand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCEdpRKqQ9FZB1AQ5EQ65bSNxtY7ncrLT441nFBuOwnWr99_j30C81PoUCPaXUg8eWAw8Or_NMqPmufC6AkMOfDliinE0sB9sSGzAzuXXvyGw-EWpHMUyWGDd7gmACM0YOCjIBuYrtAmy4Q97dsmZG2vYbIHxfLOp70HJ8lT9GKXRVpD0t4grAEW_z5u0/s320/lci-238-quintorius-kand.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><p>While we will likely be seeing him as commander in Historic Brawl, he is sadly relegated to the 99 in EDH. Shame, because I think he'd be significantly better with the full Commander card pool. As to that, in EDH, I am not sure what archetypes would really want him. He certainly has some synergies with Narset, but I'm not sure those synergies are actually powerful enough to warrant a slot. I'd like to think I'm underestimating him, but right now he just seems "meh". </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGaXCh9ybYu6gEDg2d-qcHliLNdiONMibooqIsHKQuJIwKliHdgpM8hcVASKlhGCT_Ze9YU9TOpXmnSCIo7XreK08_fxW8oyORzvxFBzKct02tKPGWQyMiil7JS-lIfQupMv7TtNA7ji5qsblgP_nYxcc57JEr9Gj2M-r68n7mjd1nsGM3n6KZotqbnWM/s936/lci-239-saheeli-the-sun-s-brilliance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGaXCh9ybYu6gEDg2d-qcHliLNdiONMibooqIsHKQuJIwKliHdgpM8hcVASKlhGCT_Ze9YU9TOpXmnSCIo7XreK08_fxW8oyORzvxFBzKct02tKPGWQyMiil7JS-lIfQupMv7TtNA7ji5qsblgP_nYxcc57JEr9Gj2M-r68n7mjd1nsGM3n6KZotqbnWM/s320/lci-239-saheeli-the-sun-s-brilliance.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><p>Kind of an interesting card, and I like that it doesn't force the artifact thing, so it more open-ended how you want to build her. Still, I am unconvinced as to how powerful she might actually be as commander. I kinda feel like I'd rather see her in the 99 of something like Riku of Two Reflections or Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiixOuuGsX7WpzRX7oDhjdMPadMorDVTCq9Xtn2fQRCeMNyMBYC15ZPXeMpIBoWXGamqLFOdQg8rdleZqmzKX1_B0_9NIEB_5R2AS966cS4KCLy0PARzjaYsRbZ329-z_LiyLBsvx92uGrZ4hcq-ZsiNNvS3TpxJQV2A13JQVgIQrNOnaUtBXNPwQPhJgg/s936/lci-240-sovereign-okinec-ahau.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiixOuuGsX7WpzRX7oDhjdMPadMorDVTCq9Xtn2fQRCeMNyMBYC15ZPXeMpIBoWXGamqLFOdQg8rdleZqmzKX1_B0_9NIEB_5R2AS966cS4KCLy0PARzjaYsRbZ329-z_LiyLBsvx92uGrZ4hcq-ZsiNNvS3TpxJQV2A13JQVgIQrNOnaUtBXNPwQPhJgg/s320/lci-240-sovereign-okinec-ahau.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><p>Cat people are always cool, and certainly seem like a good fit for Ixalan. I am starting to feel like they might be overdoing the Ward thing just a teeny, tiny bit. I think it's mainly when it's on commanders that it can get a little tedious. Anyway, it seems fine here, and the card isn't pushed. The wording is a little obtuse, but essentially you play things that are 0/0s and come into play with some counters on them and he doubles them. So, like, Kalonia Hydra, is basically the one card that should be in 99% of Okinec decks. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhInWESLPcIdpF4mjih1leq-ZtG_OKNjeHYDg6gbAOrq8HtAr6ZFFOUDLOljsYdm_xbHUt9C1VOFopECRA0WIka2SUpHCi8xLI35PLRTW8Xi_03Qfw6zUhYKmR2RdT65SbMabKmkcZmPOz_oREUKhVGytdDmt4BOoYkHBoJd8QKQQNlCS5o4GUDS0NRIYA/s936/lci-243-vito-fanatic-of-aclazotz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhInWESLPcIdpF4mjih1leq-ZtG_OKNjeHYDg6gbAOrq8HtAr6ZFFOUDLOljsYdm_xbHUt9C1VOFopECRA0WIka2SUpHCi8xLI35PLRTW8Xi_03Qfw6zUhYKmR2RdT65SbMabKmkcZmPOz_oREUKhVGytdDmt4BOoYkHBoJd8QKQQNlCS5o4GUDS0NRIYA/s320/lci-243-vito-fanatic-of-aclazotz.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><p>This guy seems real chill; very humble and down to earth. </p><p>While his ability seems interesting, I kinda feel like this is just for people who wanna sneakily play Teysa, Orzhov Scion deck without anyone noticing. Tesya on hard mode.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb59OsJeO8yJTPyUWRF9nx-UlmXfT3F2eXqHFdZg92dUWSBtmmIeGYWwufcjvUTRmGaNvfzehN7WzOsplcSjONCImoFKKICKTh58ESFC_0JAwNyO6dtYnq5J-J-S2Wys2ohQzHnuRr6QWYpUHVha4sf_GRE4C5B2CDm0of238u8t-gTewli17u_dsQnOU/s936/lci-249-chimil-the-inner-sun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb59OsJeO8yJTPyUWRF9nx-UlmXfT3F2eXqHFdZg92dUWSBtmmIeGYWwufcjvUTRmGaNvfzehN7WzOsplcSjONCImoFKKICKTh58ESFC_0JAwNyO6dtYnq5J-J-S2Wys2ohQzHnuRr6QWYpUHVha4sf_GRE4C5B2CDm0of238u8t-gTewli17u_dsQnOU/s320/lci-249-chimil-the-inner-sun.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>LOL, well, welcome to literally every Imoti deck on Arena, my dude. Also, Maelstrom Wanderer sends its regards. Very cool card. I love it.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBoQQroh5B887PMFyv2LnB_GwEp2k-Vgdvrz9cuhNWQLHyz_BMWQgsAisyvH4JgGqh5BioLCYwcZO_WqQwwL4N3hhqXxQliMdfDcxMQ0SyD8rD9wO9kpieHCuecvIjrjUVSW7imEBUDyaBdy2vyA3HYG_mSIdYEGs3CpIeCJHQHNyDcsepeRvmZpg0ncA/s936/lci-257-the-millennium-calendar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBoQQroh5B887PMFyv2LnB_GwEp2k-Vgdvrz9cuhNWQLHyz_BMWQgsAisyvH4JgGqh5BioLCYwcZO_WqQwwL4N3hhqXxQliMdfDcxMQ0SyD8rD9wO9kpieHCuecvIjrjUVSW7imEBUDyaBdy2vyA3HYG_mSIdYEGs3CpIeCJHQHNyDcsepeRvmZpg0ncA/s320/lci-257-the-millennium-calendar.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>Okay this is peak design. I usually dislike these alt-win cards but this is absolutely buck wild that WotC decided it was cool in paper Magic to make players track a fucking thousand of something. But if you actually pull this off, and have done all that math to get there, well shit, you deserve the win.Thaumaturgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07734372825472901455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461869454202308168.post-84177773726943388472020-09-17T17:18:00.001-07:002020-09-17T17:18:13.714-07:00Zendikar Rising Set Review: Green<p> Ah, the color of ramp and draw. Green may well be the best color in the format, though of course it is a close competition between it, Blue, and Black. And it only gets better when you combine them - Golgari, Simic and Sultai are probably the best two- and three-color combinations in the format. Or perhaps I'm just biased because those colors do the things I like to do best. Oh well. On with the show.</p><p><b><u>Green</u></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdZoZSGbMkQawtbOaZ4t6cOiRe3RLsmkQjbeb_YaRnXhVyk8llBQMcMUx8CaSDW2isWVDXAHE8dRsFGITHoZ0ZaxhalxZ8I7cfM42RIA3ykDzOeoV7hs05VFgcQUnbx1a-_MocuoId_oM/s680/znr-178-ancient-greenwarden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdZoZSGbMkQawtbOaZ4t6cOiRe3RLsmkQjbeb_YaRnXhVyk8llBQMcMUx8CaSDW2isWVDXAHE8dRsFGITHoZ0ZaxhalxZ8I7cfM42RIA3ykDzOeoV7hs05VFgcQUnbx1a-_MocuoId_oM/s320/znr-178-ancient-greenwarden.jpg" /></a></div>Landharmonicon.<div><br /></div><div>Landharmonicon on a big, beefy stick. </div><div><br /></div><div>With Reach.</div><div><br /></div><div>And a Crucible of Worlds stuck to it. </div><div><br /></div><div>Well, okay sure. Why not?<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRISFF6iBltpxFcBLtg4po29ZYQkNN1BuQmgDnifWdhHLYqCsZGUqjq4uTaju1xP2jg-7PjE12skdmbIU_DyCdcrIVb4Jr_kyjdjwpjcUSdIrelCGd2wc5UopDScaLp3hExXThikTE_d4/s680/znr-179-ashaya-soul-of-the-wild.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRISFF6iBltpxFcBLtg4po29ZYQkNN1BuQmgDnifWdhHLYqCsZGUqjq4uTaju1xP2jg-7PjE12skdmbIU_DyCdcrIVb4Jr_kyjdjwpjcUSdIrelCGd2wc5UopDScaLp3hExXThikTE_d4/s320/znr-179-ashaya-soul-of-the-wild.jpg" /></a></div>Ashaya seem quite powerful, and quite different from some of the more popular Mono-Green commanders of late. Definitely feels like she tends toward a different deck type from the likes of Yisan, Selvala or Omnath. Yet, she still feels quintessentially green. I'm certainly interested to see how she develops, but not yet committed to trying to build her myself. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ZfSTHPKzR8oPdc0qHgXazyButARZ3EoepsyGikwkxAV7Rk-vUlgbceeHBufs6HLwDPl9Cjg0EKtffolEdnK-6m9G3WtV2dqCkZZHWLjp2P4BRz5Vp8M_koXQ_xfrRd7IXhluVh_Q_cs/s680/znr-180-bala-ged-recovery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ZfSTHPKzR8oPdc0qHgXazyButARZ3EoepsyGikwkxAV7Rk-vUlgbceeHBufs6HLwDPl9Cjg0EKtffolEdnK-6m9G3WtV2dqCkZZHWLjp2P4BRz5Vp8M_koXQ_xfrRd7IXhluVh_Q_cs/s320/znr-180-bala-ged-recovery.jpg" /></a></div>I don't see the option to play this as a land to be enough of a deal-sweetener to get me to play this over Eternal Witness or Regrowth. Just seems downright mediocre.</div><div><br /></div><div>I think WotC was playing it extra safe with this mechanic, and probably rightfully so, but I also think maybe they played it just a hair too safe. Very few of these cards are at all exciting or even just good enough. But hopefully they will be successful enough that WotC decides it's safe to push the next crop of them just a wee bit more.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdfoXu2Q2N5Zs1xUMVuJv2oyFw7cNf_jlhDMKPhncloSO24iSdjShezyG0xwFmnzPMv3ZAWj4wRtyuR4RKHsU8yC9arEKSN46MsnaPIIZMu1vQhJcmDthHngV4_kxJrthspoLfZccdvC0/s680/znr-183-cragplate-baloth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdfoXu2Q2N5Zs1xUMVuJv2oyFw7cNf_jlhDMKPhncloSO24iSdjShezyG0xwFmnzPMv3ZAWj4wRtyuR4RKHsU8yC9arEKSN46MsnaPIIZMu1vQhJcmDthHngV4_kxJrthspoLfZccdvC0/s320/znr-183-cragplate-baloth.jpg" /></a></div>This would be the face card of one of those precon decks they used to do. It's big and splashy, and makes new players go "whoah, awesome!" but in reality they're just overcosted jank.</div><div><br /></div><div>While I certainly like everything this card does - I just don't see 10 mana as a viable cost for it. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3P6srNlJNCoDUiawDKxBN0xW8Z5nkckyG4idPFpQuzMAWwdRw-vyjEQVPOoU1nrhIi26ouKcAzsBqAfw3WSH9uEPm1NRGrzlrYSFlCoVGm7-TsLDAGRxn78aO6Jihm0aljRrh_c7JA6Q/s680/znr-186-inscription-of-abundance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3P6srNlJNCoDUiawDKxBN0xW8Z5nkckyG4idPFpQuzMAWwdRw-vyjEQVPOoU1nrhIi26ouKcAzsBqAfw3WSH9uEPm1NRGrzlrYSFlCoVGm7-TsLDAGRxn78aO6Jihm0aljRrh_c7JA6Q/s320/znr-186-inscription-of-abundance.jpg" /></a></div>I feel much the same about this Inscription as I do the other two. I generally like everything the card does and more or less want to do those things, but I'm not quite sold on the overall package. </div><div><br /></div><div>That said, I feel like this one has the most potential out of the three, as it is cheap, provides solid utility across the three effects, and, unlike the others, I wouldn't feel bad about casting this one un-Kicked for just one of its effects.</div><div><br /></div><div>(Okay, the lifegain one is pretty terrible on it's own, but you get the point.)<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5_ZLrw9TZ8NIhn43Q3BAMSq9js5WfiZ91SGd7vBoP_H587B0HQpCPTwwRnt5RluRQqMAg-HpdATFbzQcx9kluv6qCVjaKXwpxcLMTT7qPn_Y-SH-gQpvRJYOZIZ3OUwJR9OOGLvVNcY/s680/znr-187-iridescent-hornbeetle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5_ZLrw9TZ8NIhn43Q3BAMSq9js5WfiZ91SGd7vBoP_H587B0HQpCPTwwRnt5RluRQqMAg-HpdATFbzQcx9kluv6qCVjaKXwpxcLMTT7qPn_Y-SH-gQpvRJYOZIZ3OUwJR9OOGLvVNcY/s320/znr-187-iridescent-hornbeetle.jpg" /></a></div>I really like this effect but I hate the CMC. I really wish this was just an enchantment instead of a creature, and cost 1 or 2 mana less. Or even if it was just a smaller creature, like a 2/2 for 4 mana, that'd be cool. It'd be especially good in Ezuri, Claw of Progress if it were a 2-power creature instead. </div><div><br /></div><div>Alas, it's ALMOST a card I'd play but they had to give it a beefy stat line and totally wreck its potential. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYr6G_ivXhdTnsvzl96ITYbzf2e1I3oGcGn-0Y7rJFPOY6DSNeU2ixtnG-uyHe2YV0i1XQhagAm1jB_PZzeyM2QIH1L1d5Xfnz7tX3Lkuk4pRdVocJMByq_MNvgGDkusa-ls_VXHo8vI8/s680/znr-189-kazandu-mammoth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYr6G_ivXhdTnsvzl96ITYbzf2e1I3oGcGn-0Y7rJFPOY6DSNeU2ixtnG-uyHe2YV0i1XQhagAm1jB_PZzeyM2QIH1L1d5Xfnz7tX3Lkuk4pRdVocJMByq_MNvgGDkusa-ls_VXHo8vI8/s320/znr-189-kazandu-mammoth.jpg" /></a></div>Oh, cool, a creature with Landfall that can also just be a land. I appreciate that kind of symmetry. A 3/3 for three isn't bad either. Landfall trigger is fine. The only thing holding this back, really, is the lack of Trample. </div><div><br /></div><div>WotC has had a habit for a while now of being far too liberal with their use of Trample, just tacking it on to almost every big, beefy boi they can. Then people complain they they're overdoing it, and they listen... but as a result we get cards like this. Cards that actually NEED Trample, but can't get it cause they wasted all their Trample points on big dumb mythics that had too much going on already. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkFehASgRyKPGqztzrWpGgmIe7PwXJ8JIYjcWCp0eqemWW20HuAaymMAlj2cj0RhyphenhyphenJX2dJDYPrNrKo3LwRBQLYXhU0hjwLaRn0L3amK-gvyfNqQ_evQjQ1RGVABrWFFX9NkVauzUWx97k/s680/znr-190-kazandu-nectarpot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkFehASgRyKPGqztzrWpGgmIe7PwXJ8JIYjcWCp0eqemWW20HuAaymMAlj2cj0RhyphenhyphenJX2dJDYPrNrKo3LwRBQLYXhU0hjwLaRn0L3amK-gvyfNqQ_evQjQ1RGVABrWFFX9NkVauzUWx97k/s320/znr-190-kazandu-nectarpot.jpg" /></a></div>Okay so this has some cute interactions. Basically with anything that says "Whenever you gain life...". Some of my favorite examples include: Archangel of Thune, Dawn of Hope, Drogskol Reaver or Heliod the Sun-Crowned. </div><div><br /></div><div>Probably does some work in Tatyova as well. </div><div><br /></div><div>I also enjoy how it negates the drawback of Fastbond, even though Fastbond is (rightfully) banned in EDH. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFA4qW8ktMdNnH2rz77MykNOOv0ySbFKv4QYQPBh2sUpFufZKDQJBzJ91vS52nh2LerNZxpSH0kE9LjFKowSzjHNUlbrv_rwS3Xow5o3xiPha1SU5l1WKVY6Wasvk3AXbaM85LvbbLvW8/s680/znr-198-oran-rief-ooze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFA4qW8ktMdNnH2rz77MykNOOv0ySbFKv4QYQPBh2sUpFufZKDQJBzJ91vS52nh2LerNZxpSH0kE9LjFKowSzjHNUlbrv_rwS3Xow5o3xiPha1SU5l1WKVY6Wasvk3AXbaM85LvbbLvW8/s320/znr-198-oran-rief-ooze.jpg" /></a></div>Cool design, but not sold on it's effectiveness even in a dedicated +1/+1 counters deck. Maybe it gets the job done, maybe not. I'd have to see it in action first.</div><div><br /></div><div>Obviously gets better if you drop Hardened Scales beforehand. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCX8vZFTJG_JW3dd0le__51iijLZB3TpbpLqJNS171bvYzUn82kXk0p0JgFzJNZzthWYRe8qUXOrfKHvOiPnw-NlAIpkUO_8ZkNpUUPZEwj9a2WR6pICFGdlEqHFiz0MZawtBuYRhq0g4/s680/znr-201-roiling-regrowth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCX8vZFTJG_JW3dd0le__51iijLZB3TpbpLqJNS171bvYzUn82kXk0p0JgFzJNZzthWYRe8qUXOrfKHvOiPnw-NlAIpkUO_8ZkNpUUPZEwj9a2WR6pICFGdlEqHFiz0MZawtBuYRhq0g4/s320/znr-201-roiling-regrowth.jpg" /></a></div>Almost-Harrow-but-not-quite. It's worse than Harrow, of course, because the lands enter tapped. That's relevant more than you'd think. However, it does have one niche case where it can be safer than Harrow - the sacrifice is not part of the cost, but part of the effect, so that means if someone counters this, you don't lose the land. In counter-heavy metas this almost certainly replaces Harrow if you were even running Harrow to begin with. </div><div><br /></div><div>Also it is just fine to run as a second copy of Harrow in decks like Gitrog or Korvold.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-EllVlSWL8P9Ow2tN_2vDWQpi-_ksWr-RCApN58r441aG9LBU_C2YBsd1vvYsJcsscnfI612OwBD6Cg3GFrWVAdbhLANAAWF3xLoPwJ-eRd-BrndygXjY9p8eKA82rbYte__wYN_YY2E/s680/znr-203-scute-swarm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-EllVlSWL8P9Ow2tN_2vDWQpi-_ksWr-RCApN58r441aG9LBU_C2YBsd1vvYsJcsscnfI612OwBD6Cg3GFrWVAdbhLANAAWF3xLoPwJ-eRd-BrndygXjY9p8eKA82rbYte__wYN_YY2E/s320/znr-203-scute-swarm.jpg" /></a></div>This card kind of feels like a nightmare to keep track of in paper Magic. Online, it's no big deal, but in paper? Yeesh. Keeping track of what are ordinary 1/1's and what are 1/1's that make 1/1's is just kind of a lot. I hope this card is dirt cheap because I think the best way to manage it in paper is to literally just by a fuckton of them and use them as the tokens once you hit six lands. </div><div><br /></div><div>Logistical nightmare aside, this card is hilarious and awesome and I'm absolutely going to run it in any landfall-related deck I can. </div><div><br /></div><div>There are <i>always </i>more scute bugs.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixDgKZTfv6J06eQ-3HWndwjt2RYPemE2qBeiIeZwNjS2dILcfuxW3pcA9IfmLi3NNGq5f-M7CmJGQOD7umPOuywVCYWwBl7NjoIErYkJJKj0OW_lfjPVEMm5emD_-9OA81Ao6rMtBzgtM/s680/znr-207-swarm-shambler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixDgKZTfv6J06eQ-3HWndwjt2RYPemE2qBeiIeZwNjS2dILcfuxW3pcA9IfmLi3NNGq5f-M7CmJGQOD7umPOuywVCYWwBl7NjoIErYkJJKj0OW_lfjPVEMm5emD_-9OA81Ao6rMtBzgtM/s320/znr-207-swarm-shambler.jpg" /></a></div>Not sure what this does for your deck even if you're deep on the +1/+1 counter plan. There are certainly better options for whatever slot this would take.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8hRqsGWD6Fyr_I5Td69DWwhN0DU9py27YbWmLEo4L06UmMzSzlLzjRbVoBVsUOb__yfW4P7ncysb3s_huinZKuVtp5ckTDmsYAC_c1Ac5miyqsI-RftBVKdcJ7bC1Aie1q2nd8JEtMUo/s680/znr-209-tajuru-paragon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8hRqsGWD6Fyr_I5Td69DWwhN0DU9py27YbWmLEo4L06UmMzSzlLzjRbVoBVsUOb__yfW4P7ncysb3s_huinZKuVtp5ckTDmsYAC_c1Ac5miyqsI-RftBVKdcJ7bC1Aie1q2nd8JEtMUo/s320/znr-209-tajuru-paragon.jpg" /></a></div>Party on, Garth!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjbmXzywO-e5t9rWQ14RKwhCLbESyr5UUpIez8V5pEBGKAXZtktnJK8IkUVvfp1vWeJ39MuD2BxWgzbb2lr9vqvwaUxDc8kdfSaXAcQVAfz9ecOn6oz2AXXLEYFzTErRUqcVpW18GSPLw/s680/znr-215-turntimber-symbiosis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjbmXzywO-e5t9rWQ14RKwhCLbESyr5UUpIez8V5pEBGKAXZtktnJK8IkUVvfp1vWeJ39MuD2BxWgzbb2lr9vqvwaUxDc8kdfSaXAcQVAfz9ecOn6oz2AXXLEYFzTErRUqcVpW18GSPLw/s320/znr-215-turntimber-symbiosis.jpg" /></a></div>Man, that's rough. This just does not compare favorably to similar effects such as See the Unwritten or Selvala's Stampede. For seven mana, you only get the one creature, and you only get the counters as a bonus of you play a 3-or-less dork. That's some weaksauce shit right there. </div><div><br /></div><div>That said, Green has been given some of the most ridiculous mythics lately so getting one dud ought not to sting so much. It's just that this card COULD be really cool and playable without being blatantly overpowered... but instead it is blatantly <i>under</i>powered.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCawXKzdC_uKqI9rclRVyw6M6X2L_92XNvV_P28oWya6DHFInCmB72HnzdCsbEhWvPBLoDJkBE7mErjXNZxJnWAWQjid71ZKLBUq9VUjCLtIow1xJM1EzKY3s2BMYRadu1v4H7YLRf-tg/s680/znr-217-vastwood-surge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCawXKzdC_uKqI9rclRVyw6M6X2L_92XNvV_P28oWya6DHFInCmB72HnzdCsbEhWvPBLoDJkBE7mErjXNZxJnWAWQjid71ZKLBUq9VUjCLtIow1xJM1EzKY3s2BMYRadu1v4H7YLRf-tg/s320/znr-217-vastwood-surge.jpg" /></a></div>Quite expensive to Kick, but it's quite an effect if you do. I like the card in theory but I'm not sure if it will be quite good enough for most decks. It certainly deserve a chance, though.</div><div><br /></div><div>It almost certainly makes the cut in Hallar, though as both the Kicker keyword itself and the kicked effect synergize with him perfectly.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUOD4YgLHZ_NJhKKEZDLx4eZZPwHavWG3oQRlpA0ng_E01EQ1mKlyOATHdufHu6qkUewL5RTCKEM18x5uW_kMUetG9HON26DJv6jQ7Eu7l9VghRzRQ5wu14uOhyphenhyphen_x-NTjjTuTuel3gcHg/s680/znr-219-vine-gecko.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUOD4YgLHZ_NJhKKEZDLx4eZZPwHavWG3oQRlpA0ng_E01EQ1mKlyOATHdufHu6qkUewL5RTCKEM18x5uW_kMUetG9HON26DJv6jQ7Eu7l9VghRzRQ5wu14uOhyphenhyphen_x-NTjjTuTuel3gcHg/s320/znr-219-vine-gecko.jpg" /></a></div>I guess I shouldn't have been so saddened by all those blue Kicker support cards that can't be played in Hallar, because it turns out Green did get some good support as well. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhUdq6VvDOvlMmABB0ggPk3Cdj0WS6yyidI902w_rF_Q-hwPi8Ob05pyME4FQeThkuQA9Qz2yliwJbSGE_udev6cHvWgbh6qDJwclGRChfjOQIa7HTgnFdB6E1WBLICLZ7OqkpQknMmn8/s680/znr-196-murasa-sproutling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhUdq6VvDOvlMmABB0ggPk3Cdj0WS6yyidI902w_rF_Q-hwPi8Ob05pyME4FQeThkuQA9Qz2yliwJbSGE_udev6cHvWgbh6qDJwclGRChfjOQIa7HTgnFdB6E1WBLICLZ7OqkpQknMmn8/s320/znr-196-murasa-sproutling.jpg" /></a></div>Speaking of Hallar, we have an Eternal Witness that is tailor-made for a Kicker deck. It's far to niche to be useful anywhere else, but it's definitely a welcome addition to that specific deck. <br /><div><br /></div>Thaumaturgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07734372825472901455noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461869454202308168.post-74270511841349057972020-09-17T16:11:00.003-07:002020-09-17T16:11:22.049-07:00Zendikar Rising Set Review: Red<p>Installment number four brings us to... Red! Red often gets shafted, at least in terms of EDH-playable cards, because much of it's forte - burn, direct damage, and cheap aggressive creatures - simply doesn't scale well in a multi-player, 40 life format. But, it does seem like WotC is at least trying to throw Red a few more EDH-worthy cards here and there, so let's see what we get this time around.</p><p><b><u>Red</u></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0wyFcQ7DHkWojVH_4107oSbWTv7h1ZdR8sm0O7UD0M2r-mHhTMzi07-7l9bPIombPlll3l2KnxCFG-0hyphenhyphenHsQankf_gOoreoN55z-xxJew5GG-19toq2unUug0FlvQLPfGMQQlkInSFAU/s680/znr-137-cleansing-wildfire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0wyFcQ7DHkWojVH_4107oSbWTv7h1ZdR8sm0O7UD0M2r-mHhTMzi07-7l9bPIombPlll3l2KnxCFG-0hyphenhyphenHsQankf_gOoreoN55z-xxJew5GG-19toq2unUug0FlvQLPfGMQQlkInSFAU/s320/znr-137-cleansing-wildfire.jpg" /></a></div>Oh hey, the first common to appear on the list and it's Red! Quite a surprise. Also it's a land destruction spell and I actually love it.<div><br /></div><div>It's pinpoint removal for annoying or overpowered lands like Cradle or Maze of Ith, but super fair in that it replaces the land it kills with a non-threatening basic land. And it also replaces itself via the cantrip rider. </div><div><br /></div><div>This is a near-perfect design, allowing casual tables that shun land destruction in general to have a fair way to deal with powerful utility lands. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEQHYBbyg9mUXwsIdFQmjzVQRdq3v-LMdOcyJkOPaIPq2_QeTLbf8U95AMKzrXhmeqhsjutwCoA4iuOma6TWCOWlrSPFPA6FiqjD4Eag8neXmvsliuHHv2bhUnb1VfbqXDQHk0FXIDs6w/s680/znr-145-kargan-intimidator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEQHYBbyg9mUXwsIdFQmjzVQRdq3v-LMdOcyJkOPaIPq2_QeTLbf8U95AMKzrXhmeqhsjutwCoA4iuOma6TWCOWlrSPFPA6FiqjD4Eag8neXmvsliuHHv2bhUnb1VfbqXDQHk0FXIDs6w/s320/znr-145-kargan-intimidator.jpg" /></a></div>Cowards can't block Warriors is still funny even after all this time. But remember when I said that Red's cheap aggro dudes typically don't scale well in EDH? This is a good example of that. About the only place this MIGHT be playable is in Mardu Warriors but even then I'm not certain it makes the cut - not sure how deep that particular well is.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFTDFyVoAk_SUgPp6XXPZQrI-IIgQyCyYuULjXFtU8HAELg-bpgqV4-fqmIGHzdA1nzhGI_i9dZRVKhrIJPxMIaI0NV0S0RFfE4Yc6y97t68v5SOr41PnAyeuf9KE1Fm8nAcGa-9QPKm4/s680/znr-147-leyline-tyrant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFTDFyVoAk_SUgPp6XXPZQrI-IIgQyCyYuULjXFtU8HAELg-bpgqV4-fqmIGHzdA1nzhGI_i9dZRVKhrIJPxMIaI0NV0S0RFfE4Yc6y97t68v5SOr41PnAyeuf9KE1Fm8nAcGa-9QPKm4/s320/znr-147-leyline-tyrant.jpg" /></a></div>Basically a Red, flying Omnath that, instead of wasting its stored mana when it inevitably gets removed, explodes in a big ball of fire upon its death.</div><div><br /></div><div>Seems like an auto-include in any Big Mana Red decks like, say, either of the two Mono-Red Nehebs. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58BnUOsKRvpav6DhjCx8E5iirksRmu5llIZEDpiKvB6IwyDdkVenSb3rDTn9nm1Mg0V8WZPwmeEKEBqlEKNBVMlBNXEyFW-hT_t6TjSAaiTVL7izUdajo5nluMFRHkuUa1sDAiC4h-uw/s680/znr-148-magmatic-channeler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58BnUOsKRvpav6DhjCx8E5iirksRmu5llIZEDpiKvB6IwyDdkVenSb3rDTn9nm1Mg0V8WZPwmeEKEBqlEKNBVMlBNXEyFW-hT_t6TjSAaiTVL7izUdajo5nluMFRHkuUa1sDAiC4h-uw/s320/znr-148-magmatic-channeler.jpg" /></a></div>Cute design but I don't think UR Spellslinger decks would even want this. Maybe Mono-Red Spellslinger would, if that's even a thing. I guess if you wanted to make a burn deck work in EDH this is potentially one tool you could use to keep the gas flowing, but it's not strictly card advantage, so you'd need more than just this.</div><div><br /></div><div>I am curious, however, to see if this has any play in a (somewhat) more casual build of Rielle the Everwise. I could ALMOST see this being good in such a deck. Maybe I'll have to try that out, if I get around to building Rielle.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4AU6n2SueYevan9IbKPDlE91TNTgXprr6an7m6CJZGftP8nh9pc-xly2b7cIC3vsG9iD4i165K24Ek48Cmabi91bYjR4QrOQzaNNS61OimX_KIfLrPzOhE0BWqELd6HrCQ_zO9PEytXo/s680/znr-150-moraug-fury-of-akoum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4AU6n2SueYevan9IbKPDlE91TNTgXprr6an7m6CJZGftP8nh9pc-xly2b7cIC3vsG9iD4i165K24Ek48Cmabi91bYjR4QrOQzaNNS61OimX_KIfLrPzOhE0BWqELd6HrCQ_zO9PEytXo/s320/znr-150-moraug-fury-of-akoum.jpg" /></a></div>YES.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilcGKNm7kwcepDSTNk0CPbtOH4YfYv6MWaTBQVtXMheWKKLci8DFDBYIlqzhpQnARmnDvkxqxd-nbcwRKjNyvOjX4G1TWyammcN0InEu6o-MS21llMxwrkh54rl2ZJ1SZEEC3CuEOd50c/s680/znr-151-nahiri-s-lithoforming.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilcGKNm7kwcepDSTNk0CPbtOH4YfYv6MWaTBQVtXMheWKKLci8DFDBYIlqzhpQnARmnDvkxqxd-nbcwRKjNyvOjX4G1TWyammcN0InEu6o-MS21llMxwrkh54rl2ZJ1SZEEC3CuEOd50c/s320/znr-151-nahiri-s-lithoforming.jpg" /></a></div>Also yes. Every Gruul or Jund Lands-Matter deck out there is going to run this. It's especially bonkers in Korvold, which is already a stupid good deck without it. I feel like this is one of those cards that is just <i>too good</i>, but somehow not quite ban-worthy.</div><div><br /></div><div>Moraug, above, is probably the most broadly powerful Red card in the set, but THIS is the card I'm most hyped about - I mean, it's a card draw spell in Mono-Red that isn't a Wheel! </div><div><br /></div><div>Sign me right the fuck up.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYn1cmgqWsrVankG49scrO4DNlcnfu5WT40yX3XadtxSaqx_85hE-JuPhwQnwYOnTjlX8MEih0muUjkOAAWQ2Gtk4XAIRSAJmDKAUHA8fdnOPH7gJzOswUJwAfIaDcYTclTMQqPNNFgQU/s680/znr-153-relic-robber.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYn1cmgqWsrVankG49scrO4DNlcnfu5WT40yX3XadtxSaqx_85hE-JuPhwQnwYOnTjlX8MEih0muUjkOAAWQ2Gtk4XAIRSAJmDKAUHA8fdnOPH7gJzOswUJwAfIaDcYTclTMQqPNNFgQU/s320/znr-153-relic-robber.jpg" /></a></div>This is just a weird-ass card. I don't think I like it much, but I certainly do appreciate the big swing they took with it. Who knows, maybe it'll do something? I guess it's a way to make your Dockside Extortionist functional when your opponents stubbornly refuse to play any mana rocks early on?</div><div><br /></div><div>Cards this wacky are hard to evaluate, because someone very clever will likely find a use for it, but for the vast majority of us, I think we just look at it, say "neat" and then binder it for good.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwoayMhho6W9gOU6frjXBMOLfKH1SOEem8t7tM38Lev2qYlL_VkCn6MLdrdR4R6Ac0jZ877erhSS7tptQgdJZUYWDZLoFZyu8usKNZccGAzCwUCBwjGqYiEZ6C0nt89nVbccNRdG7jtCk/s680/znr-156-roiling-vortex.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwoayMhho6W9gOU6frjXBMOLfKH1SOEem8t7tM38Lev2qYlL_VkCn6MLdrdR4R6Ac0jZ877erhSS7tptQgdJZUYWDZLoFZyu8usKNZccGAzCwUCBwjGqYiEZ6C0nt89nVbccNRdG7jtCk/s320/znr-156-roiling-vortex.jpg" /></a></div>Meh. Another narrow card that hoses a particular thing that you may or may not see in any given EDH game. But at least it does still do the ping even if the other stuff is largely irrelevant. </div><div><br /></div><div>Alas, I just do not see this effect being consequential enough to find much purchase in the EDH format. Too small and too slow to really impact most games. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWrCnFQzR_eogCXSjSy2ELd3EerRbWMawBdFbPihLq9cNVhu2FH10W2hLUyqu-6SRzoZm3U1uLYlUzd2vA6-Wdv5a5OyS0mSFpV4XiCEmrOkk9g-1-omm84w2DfpnG_xD4FlwvmKiRn0M/s680/znr-159-shatterskull-charger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWrCnFQzR_eogCXSjSy2ELd3EerRbWMawBdFbPihLq9cNVhu2FH10W2hLUyqu-6SRzoZm3U1uLYlUzd2vA6-Wdv5a5OyS0mSFpV4XiCEmrOkk9g-1-omm84w2DfpnG_xD4FlwvmKiRn0M/s320/znr-159-shatterskull-charger.jpg" /></a></div>Oh man, I was really loving this card until I got to the last part. I guess a 4/3 with Trample and Haste with absolutely no downside at all would be a bit too good in some 60-card formats, but in EDH it just barely be playable, but I'd 100% for sure have jammed it in Stonebrow.</div><div><br /></div><div>A 5/4 with Trample and Haste for 5 is just not as exciting. That said, it probably still has a home in Hallar just for the sake of being a non-terrible Red card with Kicker - something that deck will always be happy to see.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWf1iTDxS8lckzkPTkzfSKdllkmlKeSxHeOAM05nQzASOUz7XQvmfI0PWKNa_GlS_T_kj1MIX88PBAVLN77GCPnOmZ3jC1UkTi-EFYbnv3RPkCFN983BYp6Tl9FNUL9n7qelCPzGe2c34/s680/znr-161-shatterskull-smashing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWf1iTDxS8lckzkPTkzfSKdllkmlKeSxHeOAM05nQzASOUz7XQvmfI0PWKNa_GlS_T_kj1MIX88PBAVLN77GCPnOmZ3jC1UkTi-EFYbnv3RPkCFN983BYp6Tl9FNUL9n7qelCPzGe2c34/s320/znr-161-shatterskull-smashing.jpg" /></a></div>Ah, the big splashy mythic with a land on the back side. So far we haven't been too jazzed about these (well, I loved the Blue one even thought I know it's wrong to). </div><div><br /></div><div>This one... it's fine. I don't hate it. I can see myself playing it, somewhere. I'm just not sure where. Again, Big Mana Red seems the obvious choice, but I'm wondering if it has any other homes besides various Neheb decks. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg0jh6oP1I0ZJDcpQ9mgocc6hhFSlEEjAcC5QHmnGM1FtNXcEFXoSNGbrOZAw23Mgl6PDLFzN15m-n3UMSdCQk98cyrBgFCbE8aa4CWvwpMe1-9uBF67aj_5Dyag3k_gIRkg58H0TlGuA/s680/znr-174-valakut-awakening.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg0jh6oP1I0ZJDcpQ9mgocc6hhFSlEEjAcC5QHmnGM1FtNXcEFXoSNGbrOZAw23Mgl6PDLFzN15m-n3UMSdCQk98cyrBgFCbE8aa4CWvwpMe1-9uBF67aj_5Dyag3k_gIRkg58H0TlGuA/s320/znr-174-valakut-awakening.jpg" /></a></div>This is a weird, interesting take on the classic Wheel effect. Firstly, the whole modal DFC thing, but I guess that's not THAT weird. But the fact that you don't just throw away your whole hand, but get to choose what to keep and what to jettison is a very welcome twist. Then, there's also the fact that instead of discarding them you put them on bottom of your library.</div><div><br /></div><div>For some decks that actually makes this card a little worse - my Feldon deck would LOVE this if you discarded those cardss instead. As would Rielle decks. </div><div><br /></div><div>Still, this is a FANTASTIC card-selection spell for Red decks that aren't heavily graveyard-reliant. Very cool design!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-zWkTXdWtMtg1X60y3a-grWEFuKLrfPADQeMzWckkNcLe364Y3lcjzy0fCgJRD403s5-aFNnLjYjhmL1tQx5H4GAQW5qYVb7lCQ00773sATwD2XIFAjQUs7WHiQ1x07e5g5TS-9aFi5E/s680/znr-175-valakut-exploration.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-zWkTXdWtMtg1X60y3a-grWEFuKLrfPADQeMzWckkNcLe364Y3lcjzy0fCgJRD403s5-aFNnLjYjhmL1tQx5H4GAQW5qYVb7lCQ00773sATwD2XIFAjQUs7WHiQ1x07e5g5TS-9aFi5E/s320/znr-175-valakut-exploration.jpg" /></a></div>Another Valakut-themed card and another kinda weird, unique design. So the whole "exile the top card, you can play it this turn" thing is not new to Red, but we're used to seeing these effects leave those cards in Exile forever if you don't cast them right away. This lets you get some value (damage) out of the cards you can't or don't want to cast. Then they end up in your graveyard for potential reuse later, rather than languishing in Exile for the rest of the game.</div><div><br /></div><div>Also, the landfall ability says "play" not "cast" so if you hit a land and you have any Exploration effects that let you play multiple lands, you can just play the land you exiled and get another shot at something with more juice. </div><div><br /></div><div>No idea where I play this, but I like it a lot and will definitely try to find some kind of use for it.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheiGo6i3KCLAKFVreeYlhZMjkYUQiFngnRxXqVPkVzSxFJoXNyODGPznHYSqPwJeDhbXl82DxfhZncCN7SWd9MhEI3QWS-MsHayThvyi58n-qISjJO7m4yD7A0MB-Q-vxzlhWC7_94imI/s680/znr-176-wayward-guide-beast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheiGo6i3KCLAKFVreeYlhZMjkYUQiFngnRxXqVPkVzSxFJoXNyODGPznHYSqPwJeDhbXl82DxfhZncCN7SWd9MhEI3QWS-MsHayThvyi58n-qISjJO7m4yD7A0MB-Q-vxzlhWC7_94imI/s320/znr-176-wayward-guide-beast.jpg" /></a></div>I'm not sure if this is good anywhere, but it is absolutely atrocious in EDH. Straight up garbage. <br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>Thaumaturgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07734372825472901455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461869454202308168.post-30205141995733382062020-09-17T15:07:00.002-07:002020-09-17T15:07:51.037-07:00Zendikar Rising Set Review: Black<p> Here we are with another installment in the Zendikar Rising review. Today's article is brought to you by the color Black!</p><p><b><u>Black</u></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW5IoBDYXN7gmloyDHgt__O0qKs5C0I-w5MX3bfkL9zK9kplzwwy2_1VekWGv01L0ClA2xlEa_uzNzTenPQEzQKP0JP7gW3ewxZfAe_jaXhB6SrFW-NdcEaLWZlWtxzn6Npaci3KNmsEs/s680/znr-90-agadeem-s-awakening.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW5IoBDYXN7gmloyDHgt__O0qKs5C0I-w5MX3bfkL9zK9kplzwwy2_1VekWGv01L0ClA2xlEa_uzNzTenPQEzQKP0JP7gW3ewxZfAe_jaXhB6SrFW-NdcEaLWZlWtxzn6Npaci3KNmsEs/s320/znr-90-agadeem-s-awakening.jpg" /></a></div>Kicking this one off with a big, splashy mythic. Unfortunately, I just don't see any use for this in a format where cards like Living Death, Rise of the Dark Realms, and probably a few other cards are just plain better. <div><br /></div><div>Also it's just getting tiring seeing so many Black mythics revisit the old "mass reanimation" well, especially when they so often fail to compare favorably to past iterations. </div><div><br /></div><div>This is undeniably a cool card, and probably still quite powerful, so it's not like you'd be ashamed to run this, but it's hard to find an excuse to do that if you already own one of the much superior versions of this effect.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD4-vC72QSGUSIYPkybXIxlm32p-weGpk8yweVB-_ao_M9gyZ3c7Xek6k1SNBPFn5dn0MKQ3S5y_VJPlHGG1rE94wKbWLKu8SsKfzfw7QRiYF-T8XOaWBgABO6U9twTM8qbhZlWtVRg_o/s680/znr-91-blackbloom-rogue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD4-vC72QSGUSIYPkybXIxlm32p-weGpk8yweVB-_ao_M9gyZ3c7Xek6k1SNBPFn5dn0MKQ3S5y_VJPlHGG1rE94wKbWLKu8SsKfzfw7QRiYF-T8XOaWBgABO6U9twTM8qbhZlWtVRg_o/s320/znr-91-blackbloom-rogue.jpg" /></a></div>Fairly decent beatstick for Rogue decks. I'd like it better if it was a 1/2 for 2 with the same buff. Menace is an underrated evasion ability, but then again token/go wide decks are pretty popular in some metas. </div><div><br /></div><div>Fine for Rogue decks but it's not going to be an all star even there.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs8S9Z-Mp7qoPC_IA88yAiKg5UUI9ixz_GL2AAxlO88tWa6LaDzkmp69pcDJ2jgoFv0lpV_E2OjANZon2L4ptUXXX06DrSyqhC35om5Ha5nsaO_6kk7KuBUFYVemPYE91n1o6MeIp0RjY/s680/znr-95-coveted-prize.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs8S9Z-Mp7qoPC_IA88yAiKg5UUI9ixz_GL2AAxlO88tWa6LaDzkmp69pcDJ2jgoFv0lpV_E2OjANZon2L4ptUXXX06DrSyqhC35om5Ha5nsaO_6kk7KuBUFYVemPYE91n1o6MeIp0RjY/s320/znr-95-coveted-prize.jpg" /></a></div>One of the few pay-off cards for the Party theme that I actually dig. This could pretty easily be just a second copy of Demonic Tutor in the right decks, but having a full party makes this thing kinda crazy good. </div><div><br /></div><div>The interesting this is, if you get the "full party" bonus effect, you don't actually have to cast the card you tutored for. Really interesting design and a card I like in theory, I just wish it wasn't tied to the Party mechanic.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj97yvPI35ogjD3Q1VuxGHRrB3pzyLs_tynnCuLp_jrVGLTEGCLEZrIO6WPjlWr2OLybO987pF8kg50-45JLsGxWfU4hi7_n4hi0Rm9P9eVgS34KO-pTckqc9Zp88Z0YBwYL7OMC8pb68E/s680/znr-97-demon-s-disciple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj97yvPI35ogjD3Q1VuxGHRrB3pzyLs_tynnCuLp_jrVGLTEGCLEZrIO6WPjlWr2OLybO987pF8kg50-45JLsGxWfU4hi7_n4hi0Rm9P9eVgS34KO-pTckqc9Zp88Z0YBwYL7OMC8pb68E/s320/znr-97-demon-s-disciple.jpg" /></a></div>Oh look, yet another Fleshbag Marauder. The twist on this one is, it can, theoretically hit planeswalkers. I don't see that as a super relevant upside but I suppose it is still TECHNICALLY better than the OG Fleshbag. Also the creature types are relevant, not just for the Party theme but for B/W Clerics and various Human Tribal decks. </div><div><br /></div><div>Still, even though I am a die hard fan of the Fleshbag effects in EDH, and was positively thrilled when the started printing functionally identical version, I feel they peaked HARD with Plaguecrafter, and now it's just getting tiresome. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyCSjGFltAmVRQbQtIZ3wKtFaSrk7TPHccZetdpZYqyL9Pl2AZDIQpLk1KGLgWUg-AOty1vVKugRkkgQmoEt7ZRy1GX1w_yHUWvBis9RWiMO4rWOUe7lZxVE_PQxDzqALKxoE08rdpCcI/s680/znr-98-drana-the-last-bloodchief.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyCSjGFltAmVRQbQtIZ3wKtFaSrk7TPHccZetdpZYqyL9Pl2AZDIQpLk1KGLgWUg-AOty1vVKugRkkgQmoEt7ZRy1GX1w_yHUWvBis9RWiMO4rWOUe7lZxVE_PQxDzqALKxoE08rdpCcI/s320/znr-98-drana-the-last-bloodchief.jpg" /></a></div>I still kinda like the aggro version of Drana from the last time we went to Zendikar, but man the potential value on this one is pretty sweet. Definitely have to find a slot for this in nearly any Vampire deck you build. She's probably a bit too slow for some metas, but for casual builds, I think she's just the right level of splashy and powerful.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTteRttnJRjbDdoI6dDP891ZmAkm_LbIKElGn9tiB__7liy0EVGBGcJYAtVa8t2cziVvo4k7B5vKjVx8T84Q44U2xA4rk6dKJfI8FGoURJXGW-wnqOXHar8DPCd8UUuI_1xm0JoLkA79M/s680/znr-106-hagra-mauling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTteRttnJRjbDdoI6dDP891ZmAkm_LbIKElGn9tiB__7liy0EVGBGcJYAtVa8t2cziVvo4k7B5vKjVx8T84Q44U2xA4rk6dKJfI8FGoURJXGW-wnqOXHar8DPCd8UUuI_1xm0JoLkA79M/s320/znr-106-hagra-mauling.jpg" /></a></div>So... you punish greedy/expensive mana bases by... what? Getting to cast Murder? Just Murder, no upside? They could have cost this at 1BB with the exact same text and I still wouldn't play it, because Murder kinda blows in this format. </div><div><br /></div><div>Hard pass.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2y1aC5i5mO-7MJX_rTXHMdxVVw-yNZaxb6iMPhJiU78p-bcDNf0yRysCljVHXusVHDeIUaJ5wFhoxVCqAHhixN6BRBVhPNtDA7_TXQ3L6McPaxDJYs8bGbaibummaSMY6Yj3sYGn6Els/s680/znr-108-inscription-of-ruin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2y1aC5i5mO-7MJX_rTXHMdxVVw-yNZaxb6iMPhJiU78p-bcDNf0yRysCljVHXusVHDeIUaJ5wFhoxVCqAHhixN6BRBVhPNtDA7_TXQ3L6McPaxDJYs8bGbaibummaSMY6Yj3sYGn6Els/s320/znr-108-inscription-of-ruin.jpg" /></a></div>Does not scale well to the EDH format. It almost certainly has niche uses here and there, but... paying 7 mana to make just one opponent discard, get back a 1-drop or 2-drop, and kill a single 3-drop... all of these effects combined simply do not feel impactful enough to add up to 7 mana of value. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF2tDOENkrDTt29VkNNjr8TCXQ8r0i5ei66XU2BGGUsdXZBvDvDztW9Yq-vB2wKoXGxEUkHpeW9SDxswrFSRAYgTyZQY-yLJze9ZVlnJNSad1vvUwLcFbWdwa0BuiakOQ9SAtIqpxaS68/s680/znr-115-nighthawk-scavenger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF2tDOENkrDTt29VkNNjr8TCXQ8r0i5ei66XU2BGGUsdXZBvDvDztW9Yq-vB2wKoXGxEUkHpeW9SDxswrFSRAYgTyZQY-yLJze9ZVlnJNSad1vvUwLcFbWdwa0BuiakOQ9SAtIqpxaS68/s320/znr-115-nighthawk-scavenger.jpg" /></a></div>An almost, sorta, strictly better Vampire Nighthawk is certainly welcome. Nighthawk is a very good card and is playable even outside of vampire-themed decks. It's just a really good early blocker. </div><div><br /></div><div>But this can also be a really good attacker, once even a few cards have hit your opponents' graveyards, and that really pushes it into the "better than Nighthawk" realm. </div><div><br /></div><div>Also worth noting it's a Rogue for times where that matters. I really hope they bring back Prowl in a future set soon.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZrtRB_QeauIK2ZkJKbgg06g4MDNB99pqglZ_1JokEn5SLyJN4py_UI7NlHvprq4ZX2k3PItwLiRjugqcEHEmK-DhCmTonPiEQ2gwqD2VKoUK9kBQanbmGcoCKcXOdWm9oBJKn6bCqfFs/s680/znr-118-nullpriest-of-oblivion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZrtRB_QeauIK2ZkJKbgg06g4MDNB99pqglZ_1JokEn5SLyJN4py_UI7NlHvprq4ZX2k3PItwLiRjugqcEHEmK-DhCmTonPiEQ2gwqD2VKoUK9kBQanbmGcoCKcXOdWm9oBJKn6bCqfFs/s320/znr-118-nullpriest-of-oblivion.jpg" /></a></div>As far as reanimation-on-a-creature cards go, this one ain't bad, but it's not that great either. It's certainly playable, but feels a bit overcosted. Personally, I think in most cases I'd rather just ditch the nearly-worthless 2/1 body and just play one of the amazing 4-mana Zombify variants that exist. Dread Return, Vigor Mortis, probably half a dozen or so more that cost 1 to 2 mana less than this. And you likely won't miss the 2/1 body at all.</div><div><br /></div><div>That said, the creature types attached might make this relevant for tribal reasons. Also creatures themselves are easier to recur, so if you can bounce or recast this multiple times somehow, it stands to outperform a Sorcery effect. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIkU3AqeqihN7irOnyOrbiTkGsLCkB8pH-U-DkURcKrRXLd6CYAj4eNod38OjbkAJW8xS9rqZqc1o3x_8aieJajwI5b7afWIMYRmMta-ds0BqC725dXztz_4mV1m0mh9TY9QuXDJx-LC4/s680/znr-122-scourge-of-the-skyclaves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIkU3AqeqihN7irOnyOrbiTkGsLCkB8pH-U-DkURcKrRXLd6CYAj4eNod38OjbkAJW8xS9rqZqc1o3x_8aieJajwI5b7afWIMYRmMta-ds0BqC725dXztz_4mV1m0mh9TY9QuXDJx-LC4/s320/znr-122-scourge-of-the-skyclaves.jpg" /></a></div>Given the starting life totals in our format, this seems pretty terrible at first glance. Still, that Kicker is bound to pique some folks' interest and I've seen some chatter about weird combos with Nethroi. </div><div><br /></div><div>All told, this might have some very niche, corner-case uses, but for the most part it's just plain awful in EDH. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix9DhlS1ZmflMyQwXdkeZliWHn80gWR8SXATJaJzFKl-1tL5ldbcdp9WNg05XIO_IIZ2_ixtGVLiOvht9KsP_d8qQ1R1HFwVYFBHI9oUxU980hySctLdQvaXUaM8owaptyS-2spN3uM8U/s680/znr-124-shadows-verdict.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix9DhlS1ZmflMyQwXdkeZliWHn80gWR8SXATJaJzFKl-1tL5ldbcdp9WNg05XIO_IIZ2_ixtGVLiOvht9KsP_d8qQ1R1HFwVYFBHI9oUxU980hySctLdQvaXUaM8owaptyS-2spN3uM8U/s320/znr-124-shadows-verdict.jpg" /></a></div>Perfectly fine if you play against a lot of weenie decks or go-wide decks that like to poop out small creatures en mass. Still, on average, most of the truly scary cards in our format cost well more than 3 mana so I think much of the time this is just going to clear the chaff but leave the wheat, so to speak. I'll just stick with my Toxic Deluges, thanks.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD07BPlDVgTR1ETV6DOoC8noHbWQE1FUqjEyh7Ltm1YgT3V_KHML33415e6wBGQmFhEpXW7hIW_LaNjfhRiuaODsW1agwOkL1ByahtuNw0rvqzkOw_itntfbZNwYniN0T4YJJBDfWyLqY/s680/znr-125-skyclave-shade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD07BPlDVgTR1ETV6DOoC8noHbWQE1FUqjEyh7Ltm1YgT3V_KHML33415e6wBGQmFhEpXW7hIW_LaNjfhRiuaODsW1agwOkL1ByahtuNw0rvqzkOw_itntfbZNwYniN0T4YJJBDfWyLqY/s320/znr-125-skyclave-shade.jpg" /></a></div>Oh, look, a new Bloodghast for us to feed to our Skullclamps over and over! Neat! I don't really see myself paying the Kicker much at all. But I'll happily draw 2 turn after turn after turn.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhd_eVyPDNoX2Occ1i4bIlHw-pQwDgmmbmHHk2Z_ue-8bR6VuRAk5aqMwZRGIyMKZMVQu6-OhQyozOhk-UJJ2CEDhNGnRhDgiv6R7h4IfzBSmLbYY9E0XTxGDlKDjeTgf-VTQTW_3qwL4/s680/znr-126-skyclave-shadowcat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhd_eVyPDNoX2Occ1i4bIlHw-pQwDgmmbmHHk2Z_ue-8bR6VuRAk5aqMwZRGIyMKZMVQu6-OhQyozOhk-UJJ2CEDhNGnRhDgiv6R7h4IfzBSmLbYY9E0XTxGDlKDjeTgf-VTQTW_3qwL4/s320/znr-126-skyclave-shadowcat.jpg" /></a></div>Good draw effect for Abzan or Golgari decks built around the +1/+1 counter theme. I especially see this as a strong addition to Mazirek decks. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0KWLlNcn1KhYoocK8VYa279yTIIKd4C62CcrX6SfaK-b1PnghyphenhyphenUXEw8ZQ_Csj4FSWsmbfAx1TxCmFZmXu5jdmUHJhtv5uq1Wz2_k-RAegJEEfFaqB3j0CTZtjWYXiLvO9mPnRsA2Oz2M/s680/znr-127-soul-shatter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0KWLlNcn1KhYoocK8VYa279yTIIKd4C62CcrX6SfaK-b1PnghyphenhyphenUXEw8ZQ_Csj4FSWsmbfAx1TxCmFZmXu5jdmUHJhtv5uq1Wz2_k-RAegJEEfFaqB3j0CTZtjWYXiLvO9mPnRsA2Oz2M/s320/znr-127-soul-shatter.jpg" /></a></div>Okay I know I just said I was getting tired of them printing Fleshbag Marauder effects every other set, but damn this one is GOOD. I usually like the effect on a creature because creatures are much easier to recur and reuse. But casting a Fleshbag effect at Instant speed is also VERY powerful. </div><div><br /></div><div>I also appreciate the way this is worded so they can't just fodder some mana dork or utility dork that they no longer need. It is much more likely to hit an actual threat. And even if not, it's still a good tempo play to make this sac whatever they spent the most mana on. </div><div><br /></div><div>Exceptionally good card, and that art is fucking exceptional as well.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBLIzJqsP3XRz3oYOJdPqBJ8-Kx6UWhhUAIPTcLAIEI8DyNdY5vrPCy2pUipUSJzxhbfvWzk9WA_NlIa39vHQQnFn3t4pwlB1JByCGC1BqggoOrIP6thArjkQXk58FUXwG_nuLstxz1ro/s680/znr-129-taborax-hope-s-demise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBLIzJqsP3XRz3oYOJdPqBJ8-Kx6UWhhUAIPTcLAIEI8DyNdY5vrPCy2pUipUSJzxhbfvWzk9WA_NlIa39vHQQnFn3t4pwlB1JByCGC1BqggoOrIP6thArjkQXk58FUXwG_nuLstxz1ro/s320/znr-129-taborax-hope-s-demise.jpg" /></a></div>I like seeing cheaper, smaller demons getting printed. They don't all have to be 8-mana 7/7's, y'know. I hope they continue the trend and allow demons to thrive at all levels of the CMC curve. </div><div><br /></div><div>But this one is such a specific design, I'm not sure exactly where it has a home. I mean, some sort of cleric tribal deck is the obvious answer, but outside of that archetype, it's ceiling is just a large, flying lifelinker. That's not terrible - see Serra Ascendant for example - but this costs more and is much harder to turn on its buffs. </div><div><br /></div><div>But I think what really kills my enthusiasm is that "nontoken" caveat on it's "dies" trigger. Man that really bums me out.<br /><p><br /></p></div>Thaumaturgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07734372825472901455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461869454202308168.post-85051271082708264252020-09-17T10:29:00.001-07:002020-09-17T10:29:49.074-07:00Zendikar Rising Set Review: Blue<p> Time for our second installment, covering Blue cards this time. Let's jump right in, shall we?</p><p><b><u>Blue</u></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP6dbrgT14W24rL0S7r78IOO9_s4ekBq_7xYT9Id-vkI3FnhgIKjMa6qXxUrrsc9hGAZSULvWMlpfXzvPeV1bhxrrR-s3_h3nCuphUI7E0dNHrizxCTadEi73vzxy9SrOTEcVuLZtxkWY/s680/znr-49-charix-the-raging-isle.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP6dbrgT14W24rL0S7r78IOO9_s4ekBq_7xYT9Id-vkI3FnhgIKjMa6qXxUrrsc9hGAZSULvWMlpfXzvPeV1bhxrrR-s3_h3nCuphUI7E0dNHrizxCTadEi73vzxy9SrOTEcVuLZtxkWY/s320/znr-49-charix-the-raging-isle.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><-- LOL<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-wgAAWI5wWhCZ75aCAlebACzUvGEPa2PhC3wtZL5I2r_PH1toI8vNXBbwD2kYvNn14KC8qkA-eDpFOBo0T7P0Wtux1Y9C0G3gmou6nk2fKJKid2zJTAaTc5zKpFajLVUyw3NfTbJ6S7Y/s680/znr-53-confounding-conundrum.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-wgAAWI5wWhCZ75aCAlebACzUvGEPa2PhC3wtZL5I2r_PH1toI8vNXBbwD2kYvNn14KC8qkA-eDpFOBo0T7P0Wtux1Y9C0G3gmou6nk2fKJKid2zJTAaTc5zKpFajLVUyw3NfTbJ6S7Y/s320/znr-53-confounding-conundrum.jpg" /></a></div>Sweet! A cantriping anti-ramp card. Cool. <div><br /></div><div>The issue I have with these cards is, you don't run them for what they do for your deck, you run them for what they do to your opponents' decks. And, generally, in most decks, I'd prefer to run something that is either A) synergystic with or at least proactive toward my own game plan, or B) a more broad, reliable answer that can deal with a variety of issues.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hosing one specific type of deck is a meta call, and personally I'd rather not have a dead card in my deck if that one type of deck isn't represented at the table.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqvsnQj89h5eMkEeQyZhTbgj372z0CkNDq36lQrgLCjusSeUPzFgqsp5jO8u9n4mBObj4yN2GrS2Kiv_0Ix7Dp3gY8TwkM09PJFYmKd-zdXw9KougVzK62jsZbKiHhHAc-5knLr0GFRG8/s680/znr-54-coralhelm-chronicler.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqvsnQj89h5eMkEeQyZhTbgj372z0CkNDq36lQrgLCjusSeUPzFgqsp5jO8u9n4mBObj4yN2GrS2Kiv_0Ix7Dp3gY8TwkM09PJFYmKd-zdXw9KougVzK62jsZbKiHhHAc-5knLr0GFRG8/s320/znr-54-coralhelm-chronicler.jpg" /></a></div>Kicker support in Blue makes all those Hallar, the Firefletcher players sad. I was planning on building a Hallar deck myself. I still might of course. But it's definitely a feel-bad seeing all these card that would be GREAT in that deck being the wrong color for it.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvjsVn8esB0nCFljfFpwsGFfMIJS-pp5GnsIVv2X1YGCinvxv6fp0ekqw9sPvB9RdN5ln6d52fpApsc99nx3kFVC3Mmyo-wgK78wfihUt1TEo3WH-b6fCm5l8HZirA1esnGUxf1P-EALQ/s680/znr-60-glasspool-mimic.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">e<img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvjsVn8esB0nCFljfFpwsGFfMIJS-pp5GnsIVv2X1YGCinvxv6fp0ekqw9sPvB9RdN5ln6d52fpApsc99nx3kFVC3Mmyo-wgK78wfihUt1TEo3WH-b6fCm5l8HZirA1esnGUxf1P-EALQ/s320/znr-60-glasspool-mimic.jpg" /></a></div>I don't hate this card - a 3-mana Clone is pretty swell, even if the restriction on what you can copy is a tad harsh. This is one of the few modal DCFs in the set I can really see myself playing and being happy with. Maybe.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2C4-AP7YbuoAeL4Y_z86Ey8ieqJplwdRU7HD1WcCaxkRhVlpHiayedTBcuQXe3Dz8pX9IRpAned3lYRZPzMPwqovIyfycAkkp-qZZCItAoS_TfiNMdxYY1iwmqpoMrx_wuzMLgg1BVv8/s680/znr-61-inscription-of-insight.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2C4-AP7YbuoAeL4Y_z86Ey8ieqJplwdRU7HD1WcCaxkRhVlpHiayedTBcuQXe3Dz8pX9IRpAned3lYRZPzMPwqovIyfycAkkp-qZZCItAoS_TfiNMdxYY1iwmqpoMrx_wuzMLgg1BVv8/s320/znr-61-inscription-of-insight.jpg" /></a></div>Pretty darn expensive to play and Kick but pretty darn awesome if you do. Still, it's a pretty far cry from Blue's most ubiquitous and infamous Kicker spell - Rite of Replication. </div><div><br /></div><div>I really like this card, I just don't know how many decks are going to be able to find a slot for it. I'll almost certainly be able to make good use of it in my Teferi, Temporal Archmage and MAYBE something like Riko or Kalamax can do bonkers things by copying it. But overall it feels like one of those cards you keep slotting in, then cutting.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirocxxAaZHMKweRkq84IkIsXUGxzAws1LEL5qo2zMurbs6F4ebiqJ1H2rdjmKzQVrmGqIt-RB-hJoDgxBnjDwJAR-M-2dxkuDwX1PB0CfOdsYSm_E-w1J_nIy34v7QijqulygspPW3opg/s680/znr-63-jace-mirror-mage.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirocxxAaZHMKweRkq84IkIsXUGxzAws1LEL5qo2zMurbs6F4ebiqJ1H2rdjmKzQVrmGqIt-RB-hJoDgxBnjDwJAR-M-2dxkuDwX1PB0CfOdsYSm_E-w1J_nIy34v7QijqulygspPW3opg/s320/znr-63-jace-mirror-mage.jpg" /></a></div>BONKERS.</div><div><br /></div><div>Just fucking bonkers. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJE8diXY4tT-JBTwXRl9XbpfXyBVOS_DpgR9AQVoNNl1Gtv10ntJHQ1ff-au-RtZrzChpN3p7oU-5PhvUxwb8Hh_cZNeVFLgM-SW6sOvv49nklMW-cnhdDTVB-Z98gGl8iurX5UoH3lkY/s936/znr-67-maddening-cacophany.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJE8diXY4tT-JBTwXRl9XbpfXyBVOS_DpgR9AQVoNNl1Gtv10ntJHQ1ff-au-RtZrzChpN3p7oU-5PhvUxwb8Hh_cZNeVFLgM-SW6sOvv49nklMW-cnhdDTVB-Z98gGl8iurX5UoH3lkY/s320/znr-67-maddening-cacophany.jpg" /></a></div>HA HA HA HA! </div><div><br /></div><div>Basically a Glimpse the Unthinkable that you can Kick into a Traumatize... except it hits ALL YOUR OPPONENTS. This HAS to seem like a godsend to Mill players everywhere. </div><div><br /></div><div>I absolutely love it, and I haven't played any sort of dedicated mill deck in years. I might just have to rebuild Wrexial as an excuse to play this.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiesPgUqcuGlYoyTz8d2fSe-xu2gVgm4rSOCcgAmW7zuGv0VTwpqbZbB08kvyUdft04yLm33OV9mN9R1F2yoW-NtzdLuVGdG9PclxDuiTOD4-JF1ui2vF6TBlQt-8ZWAzH5ntqqXO9neJs/s680/znr-70-merfolk-windrobber.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiesPgUqcuGlYoyTz8d2fSe-xu2gVgm4rSOCcgAmW7zuGv0VTwpqbZbB08kvyUdft04yLm33OV9mN9R1F2yoW-NtzdLuVGdG9PclxDuiTOD4-JF1ui2vF6TBlQt-8ZWAzH5ntqqXO9neJs/s320/znr-70-merfolk-windrobber.jpg" /></a></div>This one also features the newly-keyworded Mill mechanic, but in such a small increment, I feel like this card is much more exciting as both a Rogue for Rogue decks and a 1/1 flyer with some small value for Edric decks.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinpBPmNJorCSBuyPetp9OPFwisOzoZriQYnaTFLD6zXbhis-3UGIemITI2FJmrMsTzswqfUgIukI-FHc9m8j7oPFVetujLIX27AHHm88xbltWwZ_6owmOBz2IxMqfihvWXuk4IYj664vk/s680/znr-72-nimble-trapfinder.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinpBPmNJorCSBuyPetp9OPFwisOzoZriQYnaTFLD6zXbhis-3UGIemITI2FJmrMsTzswqfUgIukI-FHc9m8j7oPFVetujLIX27AHHm88xbltWwZ_6owmOBz2IxMqfihvWXuk4IYj664vk/s320/znr-72-nimble-trapfinder.jpg" /></a></div>Party on, Wayne!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV_GluSkimttfjUa0Tc3K3bAwg2zm59BaadfxMakU_424rkTuNBTcLQMq5aLwB7zOJ-ZYC2X5YJyVZNcUw7FefhRv0MvLbi2iX2Ur47K7IlBm-IqtmnkLsD3SXsYT_gqOSre4i3r9CInE/s680/znr-75-ruin-crab.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV_GluSkimttfjUa0Tc3K3bAwg2zm59BaadfxMakU_424rkTuNBTcLQMq5aLwB7zOJ-ZYC2X5YJyVZNcUw7FefhRv0MvLbi2iX2Ur47K7IlBm-IqtmnkLsD3SXsYT_gqOSre4i3r9CInE/s320/znr-75-ruin-crab.jpg" /></a></div>HA HA HA HA! AGAIN! This time they took Hedron Crab and made it strictly better for multiplayer games. </div><div><br /></div><div>HELL.</div><div><br /></div><div>YES.</div><div><br /></div><div>Mill might actually be a thing finally.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Iww6roH3wSXkDqZ5G2xhFSMjcVQJCygju8QJzU7Gl3CukIvdOqevMKUVxCNTlK1WCWF3jHCbNQzhHbrkONY0Fy77C5kpLcQhgxEXvnQN4_FJ0aHHBOAP2PoyOpINkfTyGTnGX7AAT-w/s680/znr-76-sea-gate-restoration.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Iww6roH3wSXkDqZ5G2xhFSMjcVQJCygju8QJzU7Gl3CukIvdOqevMKUVxCNTlK1WCWF3jHCbNQzhHbrkONY0Fy77C5kpLcQhgxEXvnQN4_FJ0aHHBOAP2PoyOpINkfTyGTnGX7AAT-w/s320/znr-76-sea-gate-restoration.jpg" /></a></div>Ugh. I love this more than I should. I know it's technically bad, because if you have the luxury of taking a whole turn off to cast a 7-mana spell that doesn't impact the board in any way, then you're probably already winning, making this "win more". But God knows how greedy I am about drawing cards and the whole "PLUS ONE" part really tickles me!</div><div><br /></div><div>That said, this actually CAN impact the board in something like The Locust God or Pyr and Toothy, so it might have legitimate homes in those decks, but I'll probably just jam it into any deck I can find room for it. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ZKOvNXibfSVJt-sMmv-t7s4LScsiPIZyxOmWq_lDDg_2ejtbT_9pUVT_qEwXermo7n137efEf5HVgCbCEk7iNPNKVeTyTHTdHHhAPDJLPZuQr4416YPoZSGFg4MFiDOil338UEENb_I/s680/znr-77-sea-gate-stormcaller.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ZKOvNXibfSVJt-sMmv-t7s4LScsiPIZyxOmWq_lDDg_2ejtbT_9pUVT_qEwXermo7n137efEf5HVgCbCEk7iNPNKVeTyTHTdHHhAPDJLPZuQr4416YPoZSGFg4MFiDOil338UEENb_I/s320/znr-77-sea-gate-stormcaller.jpg" /></a></div>Woof. 7 mana for a 2/1 just to copy a 1 or 2 mana spell twice? Yikes. Given both the steep Kicker cost and the severe restriction on what you can copy makes this a dud in my book. I'm sure it will have some kind of life within our format in some very specific decks, but I can't fathom any of my decks running this.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2fU9x7ddcJbln_T0h94TszgTUcTLj2Gf_LHYvdVNlylxOhSoEFCTwqH4HoOev_M0Tlp-vwzP8gnuF2d3a1DeGDXn1IUKs4uhALSmMmd0ojTfSzByc8TCLBIqzcnXfwGVbNNfNrYxBCyQ/s680/znr-85-thieving-skydiver.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2fU9x7ddcJbln_T0h94TszgTUcTLj2Gf_LHYvdVNlylxOhSoEFCTwqH4HoOev_M0Tlp-vwzP8gnuF2d3a1DeGDXn1IUKs4uhALSmMmd0ojTfSzByc8TCLBIqzcnXfwGVbNNfNrYxBCyQ/s320/znr-85-thieving-skydiver.jpg" /></a></div>3 mana to steal a Sol Ring? Sure, I can see that maybe being a thing. Also, Rogue with Flying is fine on it's own.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNVEvQS2gRLf2CdU6MYT2aAEy0poF3U1LWtzsYxFyiILfSggGpuso7IEDxkACjrEd2cuQerFlSLWpaYViuQyCbTAMcM5qLpEZ4CwfD-mceOnhOoTN0arOaSbJEw2YD0yXUEG632g2exVs/s680/znr-87-windrider-wizard.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNVEvQS2gRLf2CdU6MYT2aAEy0poF3U1LWtzsYxFyiILfSggGpuso7IEDxkACjrEd2cuQerFlSLWpaYViuQyCbTAMcM5qLpEZ4CwfD-mceOnhOoTN0arOaSbJEw2YD0yXUEG632g2exVs/s320/znr-87-windrider-wizard.jpg" /></a></div>Is it just me or does this seem a bit OP for an uncommon? Absolutely has a home in UR spellslinger decks, from where I'm sitting.<br /><p><br /></p></div>Thaumaturgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07734372825472901455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461869454202308168.post-29628124674949117932020-09-17T10:01:00.000-07:002020-09-17T10:01:15.703-07:00Zendikar Rising Set Review: White<p> Well. </p><p>Haven't done one of these in a hot minute. Been somewhat out of the Magic scene since COVID-19 came along and ruined everyone's lives (and still continues to do so, sadly). But I'm bored, and This Eldrazi-free incarnation of Zendikar seems like a pretty cool set, so let's take a look at it.</p><p><u><b>White</b></u></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzqB720WUMnqxk_LKiSTHjfzXZWnCXKP-UsQsaBiyxne8_m2JY3WNrb9hprEvUGIxrQIQJ0NUX6OZG4t1M2LfQ6bu1fOVgMXAEU1DP3jpdJP7CNQXgu3UAtdvW5HRrEakWpfHAgf6MRtU/s936/znr-2-angel-of-destiny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzqB720WUMnqxk_LKiSTHjfzXZWnCXKP-UsQsaBiyxne8_m2JY3WNrb9hprEvUGIxrQIQJ0NUX6OZG4t1M2LfQ6bu1fOVgMXAEU1DP3jpdJP7CNQXgu3UAtdvW5HRrEakWpfHAgf6MRtU/s320/znr-2-angel-of-destiny.jpg" /></a></div>Kicking things off with a Mythic Angel, and boy it's a weird one. A 2/6 with Flying and Double Strike for 5 isn't particular exciting, though it might see play in some Boros decks that run a lot of Swords of X and Y. But then you have the weird symmetrical life gain effect, and you're like "Huh?"<div> </div><div>But that last ability makes it all make sense. Sort of. In EDH it SHOULD be pretty easy for a deck that wants this type of card to get to 55 or higher life. I've gone WAY higher with Oloro, Karlov and probably others. </div><div><br /></div><div>That all said, I am NOT a fan of alt-win-condition cards like this, Felidar Sovereign, and other cards that just say "Do X: Win Game." It'll certain get played, especially in Orzhov lifegain decks, but I will be avoiding it myself.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQyimX5Ne2CwYezAHcOPbU_fBBUXS5u98WJn6Uf4dlXD2oaIEmAwXNTd8mddXqNdDnMgQ42CCKR7UEd7ChCcjWplwVlisBmN7jbP5itnuQYW6105TJ5Eyh4e7WKHyGIh4cqsLQ8NsllAA/s936/znr-4-archon-of-emeria.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQyimX5Ne2CwYezAHcOPbU_fBBUXS5u98WJn6Uf4dlXD2oaIEmAwXNTd8mddXqNdDnMgQ42CCKR7UEd7ChCcjWplwVlisBmN7jbP5itnuQYW6105TJ5Eyh4e7WKHyGIh4cqsLQ8NsllAA/s320/znr-4-archon-of-emeria.jpg" /></a></div>I'm also usually not a big fan of Stax/Hate Bear stuff, but some are less offensive than others. This one, I actually quite like. Limiting players to on spell a turn is an effect I don't feel miserable about playing even in a casual setting. And the second effect is also fine at most tables. It slows people down but doesn't lock them out of playing, so I have no issue playing with or against these cards. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'm all for them printing for Stax-adjacent effects like this, though usually I prefer them to NOT be on creatures, as the types of decks that I would run this in, tend to also run a bit heavy on board wipes. Still, I see this as a highly playable card at casual and competitive tables alike. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiboRWyhSle4YviDcqRiW4OpGOU-O9H24uFgzV0b1fydR__EjFXxQ9RSKG6birtxD4gne_u1DumNqK8AIAF8FFJ8lY16_2i9RMHeREkhvFtf3eAMpR-R_URkIvylSmVToW6tP1Zh4iMIJY/s936/znr-5-archpriest-of-iona.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiboRWyhSle4YviDcqRiW4OpGOU-O9H24uFgzV0b1fydR__EjFXxQ9RSKG6birtxD4gne_u1DumNqK8AIAF8FFJ8lY16_2i9RMHeREkhvFtf3eAMpR-R_URkIvylSmVToW6tP1Zh4iMIJY/s320/znr-5-archpriest-of-iona.jpg" /></a></div>I'm mainly covering this card just to talk about the Party mechanic. </div><div><br /></div><div>Not a fan.</div><div><br /></div><div>I do not have a background in D&D so maybe that is why the mechanic seems so boring and worthless to me. But even eschewing the lack of nostalgia and just evaluating it purely on its deck-building potential and game impact... I just don't see it doing much for the format. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'm sure a lot of people will like it, and will build decks around it... but that doesn't mean it's actually good. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip1hk2S2G_2gK4S9hsy1EOBSgL51KW70Sa0gNc7OU2Nc2QVMVL38NLqLWB5YaxxPD9Cyx8P2HOPp3Vue8sCD3k7YwsXREQebT4J-gOYDG4FCGgccYdhbp-YQyDt-r66Hy-BV8VYL5G_io/s936/znr-7-canyon-jerboa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip1hk2S2G_2gK4S9hsy1EOBSgL51KW70Sa0gNc7OU2Nc2QVMVL38NLqLWB5YaxxPD9Cyx8P2HOPp3Vue8sCD3k7YwsXREQebT4J-gOYDG4FCGgccYdhbp-YQyDt-r66Hy-BV8VYL5G_io/s320/znr-7-canyon-jerboa.jpg" /></a></div>Landfall is always one of the more exciting mechanics to return, but I have to admit, it feels like they toned it down JUST A BIT in this iteration. At least in white, there is nothing quite as impactful or powerful as Emeria Angel or Admonition Angel. </div><div><br /></div><div>This cure little mouse is probably the second-most playable of White's Landfall crop this year, and even it is iffy. It'll almost certainly get shoe-horned in to W/x landfall decks simply due to it's cuteness, but I expect it's performance to be so-so. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnDXtUQ9X1cxW67empAk9mKLjQsYLgdjhDyLgBN0QWJQ4P37S45uOnIPyhWUIhsRX19wX8BWbL7YqLvug-Odu_fSecE1FR5w-BlA3-lQ4Xw13uzkxk1Rqy_sJVCRY-WNO-7bbKyjErc54/s936/znr-12-emeria-s-call.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnDXtUQ9X1cxW67empAk9mKLjQsYLgdjhDyLgBN0QWJQ4P37S45uOnIPyhWUIhsRX19wX8BWbL7YqLvug-Odu_fSecE1FR5w-BlA3-lQ4Xw13uzkxk1Rqy_sJVCRY-WNO-7bbKyjErc54/s320/znr-12-emeria-s-call.jpg" /></a></div>And now we have a new thing - cards with spells on one side, and lands on the back side. We've seen Double-faced cards before of course, but these are new in that you choose which side to play when you play it, and that's it! There's not flip or transform mechanic. You either get a land or you cast a spell, and that's all she wrote. </div><div><br /></div><div>For record the back of this one is just a generic W producing land that ETB's tapped unless you pay 3 life. Woof. Still fine, if the spell on the front is something you'd want to cast some of the time and only use the land side when you really need to. But at 7 mana, the spell side feels quite underpowered. Even in dedicated token decks, there are much better ways to make lots of Angels.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiOrH0vBkEVeSQEJNpeiVvTRuznAvlju6jNUx0vSQo-w7bHUOepyPKc1pOcEhhZo7qqB3iJbeq3T3Cj4jcaOSwndvKX9-H3W1lRh7_4PO597jVHtHV2SaUhpoiH07i6krbYD5gqdra3oc/s936/znr-16-felidar-retreat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiOrH0vBkEVeSQEJNpeiVvTRuznAvlju6jNUx0vSQo-w7bHUOepyPKc1pOcEhhZo7qqB3iJbeq3T3Cj4jcaOSwndvKX9-H3W1lRh7_4PO597jVHtHV2SaUhpoiH07i6krbYD5gqdra3oc/s320/znr-16-felidar-retreat.jpg" /></a></div>This is easily White's best Landfall card of the set, and the only one that almost certainly slots into most W/x landfall decks. It actually probably goes into many W/x decks that are instead focused on +1/+1 counters. This feels like a HUGE upgrade to Retreat to Emeria for only 1 mana more. The only scenario I see in which you don't immediately replace the Retreat with this is if your deck actually needs the Ally tokens specifically. </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirKlPbmNxIavZP85CBmThsSyq5Zcmlxu16O1eJxk60Kzfc0x5xGFESWGdHLHRDbuC9-lEQsa_4GHnIQcRowpxX_zk5ifJWCMxXDkUnQvlAj8MX_aPvm1_XZADJZt8J-VmZlopaRbbnSfM/s936/znr-23-legion-angel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirKlPbmNxIavZP85CBmThsSyq5Zcmlxu16O1eJxk60Kzfc0x5xGFESWGdHLHRDbuC9-lEQsa_4GHnIQcRowpxX_zk5ifJWCMxXDkUnQvlAj8MX_aPvm1_XZADJZt8J-VmZlopaRbbnSfM/s320/znr-23-legion-angel.jpg" /></a></div>A really cool card, but one of those where your group has to be okay with these kinds of "outside the game" effects. But it does seem like a baller move to put one of these in your deck and just have a stack of them sitting next to it. </div><div><br /></div><div>But even in your group is totally down with these sorts of cards, this still isn't THAT powerful. And endless supply of otherwise-vanilla 4/3 flyers is certainly fine, but not overly powerful. There are probably better things in your deck that you'd rather be doing most of the time than casting the 3rd or 4th one of these in a row.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp_TyiYUzBVJE3ckqu8oDiU9eSOf1g28K0YKl8YulK-vbmQ0bVP_JvWR1HD0ztM_9vNfqw_cAwoSkQhzBR0m0xS91ln2JP5du8mnuvmfZ4bCeC5Bd7lSlgApLeorshmRTR5hWt184SEUk/s936/znr-24-luminarch-aspirant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp_TyiYUzBVJE3ckqu8oDiU9eSOf1g28K0YKl8YulK-vbmQ0bVP_JvWR1HD0ztM_9vNfqw_cAwoSkQhzBR0m0xS91ln2JP5du8mnuvmfZ4bCeC5Bd7lSlgApLeorshmRTR5hWt184SEUk/s320/znr-24-luminarch-aspirant.jpg" /></a></div>This cleric should be pretty good in +1/+1 counter decks. Not much else to say about it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Though if you want a more techy thing to do with it, I suppose you could use in Boros decks along side Mentor creatures. Use it to buff the Mentor creature itself so that the Mentor in turn can always stay big enough to buff other creatures. Dunno if that's good, but it's a cute trick, at least.</div><div><br /></div><div>Also, as usual, good with Persist creatures.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgipLGuOf1gt3s8X0bn3d6A3xoiOOJGBtlld6lVh1gYCDY_YxWHEGMGrkC7RbhNL6y4_zQSqbIdfJtkAg1YfQtnJP-_b8uHhe7rRFColQNdLCmoz4MwmI0NzXiOzrFqUhi-Yemy9rjwyk/s936/znr-27-maul-of-the-skyclaves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgipLGuOf1gt3s8X0bn3d6A3xoiOOJGBtlld6lVh1gYCDY_YxWHEGMGrkC7RbhNL6y4_zQSqbIdfJtkAg1YfQtnJP-_b8uHhe7rRFColQNdLCmoz4MwmI0NzXiOzrFqUhi-Yemy9rjwyk/s320/znr-27-maul-of-the-skyclaves.jpg" /></a></div>Getting the first equip for free is nice, but the buffs it provides are just okay-ish. We're spoiled for choice on really good Equipment so I have a hard time envisioning where this has a spot over the more powerful options. I guess budget would be the sole consideration that makes this playable. </div><div><br /></div><div>Eh, and I guess some Sram decks can probably just find one more slot for this without having to cut something better.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxu-QWpKFjOysZh811To_vPBR9OhnLzuSA5IiTuz8ODPDq8yKsjNgKoo9M_zlHPLZhXPRjCaHCjEgbW1kmfEas_zxBBasdFwZbttKkgmi1o1_mGwXObT72NYlo5xhz0XePOJMxXna1Bo4/s936/znr-30-ondu-inversion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxu-QWpKFjOysZh811To_vPBR9OhnLzuSA5IiTuz8ODPDq8yKsjNgKoo9M_zlHPLZhXPRjCaHCjEgbW1kmfEas_zxBBasdFwZbttKkgmi1o1_mGwXObT72NYlo5xhz0XePOJMxXna1Bo4/s320/znr-30-ondu-inversion.jpg" /></a></div>Another modal DFC. The effect is powerful, but 8 mana is quite steep. I don't think the option to play this as a land when needed is quite enough to make the front side attractive. </div><div><br /></div><div>I can see this getting some play, I just personally don't find it appealing on any level. I'd just rather run a cheaper version of this effect and make sure my mana base is solid enough without needing a sometimes-land DFC.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFozOgrjyuoMZtJsAMbCPr4KDFU5eS283hvo2rr6hmH5wbwcPQTh_KcnN76BwqhCcDZ2t43kii3YulLaMnQzBS92Yu1Ym4lQKIO2_ASdTvemtsWGPFwCmPBQrtZuXllfFZY4j6bHYsFp8/s936/znr-39-skyclave-apparition.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFozOgrjyuoMZtJsAMbCPr4KDFU5eS283hvo2rr6hmH5wbwcPQTh_KcnN76BwqhCcDZ2t43kii3YulLaMnQzBS92Yu1Ym4lQKIO2_ASdTvemtsWGPFwCmPBQrtZuXllfFZY4j6bHYsFp8/s320/znr-39-skyclave-apparition.jpg" /></a></div>Meh. White has such EXCEPTIONAL removal and the options are plentiful indeed. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHq-fr58RcngFASIMtnEQ-yY2SMcDGR7KjW0wB9KOxYOp8wAieg_0mZimgeloUCdcJOuAyvPirLr2VwXcS_LhH5yaubcKN0yB_pCXCN4LSyyNorsGgvNEucs0eAliYMuVfepLK4EhN80M/s936/znr-41-squad-commander.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHq-fr58RcngFASIMtnEQ-yY2SMcDGR7KjW0wB9KOxYOp8wAieg_0mZimgeloUCdcJOuAyvPirLr2VwXcS_LhH5yaubcKN0yB_pCXCN4LSyyNorsGgvNEucs0eAliYMuVfepLK4EhN80M/s320/znr-41-squad-commander.jpg" /></a></div>Again, the Party mechanic just does nothing for me. I just can't get excited about cards that only work if I have exactly these four types of creature. </div><div><br /></div><div>I also like my "make your team Indestructible" effects to be instant speed, so I can negate board wipes. Such effects that only work on your own turn and are telegraphed to your opponents are pretty worthless, IMO.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv9pNCLF1HGw-CfeFoGypuwUvMh9zYD6hrfTvTCkI_2kcq5zX4HfRdE-h_7cqqKk6Omz2UPO-1zlQWg8xBUYCNgNzorawZmZgyOXXiln2j-Q1HgxksPW7FzKJMZJEZkWn8q-1bPjHvojI/s936/znr-44-tazri-beacon-of-unity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="672" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv9pNCLF1HGw-CfeFoGypuwUvMh9zYD6hrfTvTCkI_2kcq5zX4HfRdE-h_7cqqKk6Omz2UPO-1zlQWg8xBUYCNgNzorawZmZgyOXXiln2j-Q1HgxksPW7FzKJMZJEZkWn8q-1bPjHvojI/s320/znr-44-tazri-beacon-of-unity.jpg" /></a></div>Technically this is a 5 color card, but it shows up in the White section on the official spoiler page, so here it is. <br /><p>Obviously if your going Party tribal you have to be looking at this Tazri as at least a potential commander, and she may even be the clear best choice. I do appreciate that they also threw a bone to the Ally decks of yore as well. </p><p>I'm just wondering if there's enough overlap between Allies and the Party types to make a cohesive deck built around both. But I'm not curious enough to actually look, because it still seems like a boring deck to me.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-dvnnycWUAhzens5KsWOiXL9f1IIC925laTvK4X84qXsGB1MR2tWNgw04qfKzIvna7q9zPzmlMwhpCboCRMD8pzouiaIg_Ox0ZC_DuKiU0wFvEj-gPPu05AEAySyrfT6LYHByXZb13s/s680/znr-21-kor-blademaster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-dvnnycWUAhzens5KsWOiXL9f1IIC925laTvK4X84qXsGB1MR2tWNgw04qfKzIvna7q9zPzmlMwhpCboCRMD8pzouiaIg_Ox0ZC_DuKiU0wFvEj-gPPu05AEAySyrfT6LYHByXZb13s/s320/znr-21-kor-blademaster.jpg" /></a></div>Almost overlooked this little guy. I always like a cheap double striker, as they were Equipment quite well, and even a 1/1 hits pretty hard when carrying a Sword of Fire and Ice. If your deck has a decent amount of both Warriors and Equipment, you'll clearly be wanting to slot this in somewhere. Without a handful of other warriors to potentially buff, this is basically just a Fencing Ace reprint. Which is fine, but not really needed.<p></p></div>Thaumaturgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07734372825472901455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461869454202308168.post-43554679459510460052018-10-10T19:55:00.000-07:002018-10-10T08:26:25.557-07:00Doctor Strange and the Infinity GauntletThis is my Jodah/Fist of Suns list. It is probably a fairly standard Jodah list, with lots of huge bombs and various ways to cheat 'em out. But it's a really fun deck, and it also happens to need some fine-tuning. After mulling it over a while, I figured I might as well write up a post on it, as that might help me collect and organize my thoughts on how best to improve its performance.<br />
<br />
I'll start by sharing the list as it currently stands, then walk through some of the problems and how we might solve them.<br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Creatures</b></u><br />
<br />
<b>Commander:</b> Jodah, Archmage Eternal.<br />
<br />
Academy Rector<br />
Angel of the Dire Hour<br />
Avacyn, Angel of Hope<br />
Mulldrifter<br />
Consecrated Sphinx<br />
Diluvian Primordial<br />
Myojin of Seeing Winds<br />
Fleshbag Marauder<br />
Merciless Executioner<br />
Sheoldred, Whispering One<br />
Etali, Primal Storm<br />
Sakura-Tribe Elder<br />
Bloom Tender<br />
Reclamation Sage<br />
Seedborn Muse<br />
Rashmi, Eternities Crafter<br />
Thraximundar<br />
Gisela, Blade of Goldnight<br />
Angel of Despair<br />
Maelstrom Wanderer<br />
Ashen Rider<br />
Zacama, Primal Calamity<br />
Solemn Simulacrum<br />
Ramos, Dragon Engine<br />
<br />
<u><b>Spells</b></u><br />
<br />
Swords to Plowshares<br />
Path to Exile<br />
Wrath of God<br />
Deep Analysis<br />
Leyline of Anticipation<br />
Baral's Expertise<br />
Time Spiral<br />
Mind's Dilation<br />
Animatou's Augury<br />
Read the Bones<br />
Painful Truths<br />
Toxic Deluge<br />
Unburial Rites<br />
Sunbird's Invocation<br />
Star of Exctinction<br />
Kodama's Reach<br />
Cultivate<br />
Zendikar's Resurgence<br />
Tooth and Nail<br />
Vindicate<br />
Abzan Charm<br />
Bring to Light<br />
Sylvan Library<br />
Mirari's Wake<br />
Maelstrom Nexus<br />
Primeval's Glorius Rebirth<br />
Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh<br />
Conflux<br />
Ugin, the Spirit Dragon<br />
Lightning Greaves<br />
Fist of Suns<br />
Vedalken Orrery<br />
Sol Ring<br />
Thought Vessel<br />
Fellwar Stone<br />
Chromatic Lantern<br />
Coalition Relic<br />
Prismatic Geoscope<br />
<br />
<u><b>Lands</b></u><br />
<br />
10x Rev Duals (Tundra, etc.)<br />
10x Shocklands (Hallowed Fountain, etc.)<br />
5x Ally-colored Fetchlands (Flooded Strand)<br />
Command Tower<br />
Mana Confluence<br />
Exotic Orchard<br />
Reflecting Pool<br />
Rootbound Crag<br />
Sunpetal Grove<br />
Hinterland Harbor<br />
Plains x1<br />
Island x1<br />
Swamp x1<br />
Montain x1<br />
Forest x1<br />
<br />
<br />
So, that's the list I've most recently been working with. And it's done pretty well so far, but it certainly has a few kinks to iron out. Before we get to troubleshooting, however, let's talk a little more about the deck itself.<br />
<br />
One of the things that was clear to me right off the bat is, we need perfect mana, hence the extravagantly expensive mana base. Ramp is also key - not only is it a part of our "Plan A" which is to ramp into Jodah and start Fisting out threats as early as possible, but it's also a critical part of "Plan B" which is to just hardcast our bombs (for when Jodah just dies over and over).<br />
<br />
It is not enough to just hit RWU and cast Jodah, of course - we also need to hit B and G to start Fisting things. By the way if that terminology makes you uncomfortable, I bid you simply get your mind out of the gutter, you perv. I am merely referring to the card Fist of Suns, which is basically Jodah but in Artifact form.<br />
<br />
Sticking a Fist of Suns is often preferable to Jodah, as it can dodge removal a little easier. Rest assured though, both will be high priority targets if your opponents do have removal.<br />
<br />
Anyway, the key to successful Fisting is to hit WUBRG as often as possible, as reliably possible, and as quickly as possible. We're perfectly happy hitting all five colors on turn five, but if we can hit them all on turn four some percentage of the time, so much the better.<br />
<br />
This is one area where I feel the deck needs some attention, as my ramp suite is not optimal, but we'll get to that shortly.<br />
<br />
Another key aspect of a Jodah deck that I realized early on was that being able to Fist things at instant speed would be a huge plus. For much of the early to mid game, this is a cast-one-thing-per-turn deck. Even if we aren't paying full retail for our high-CMC bombs, we're still only going to be able to drop them one at a time for the first half of the game.<br />
<br />
This means a single removal spell from an opponent can be a HUGE tempo loss. This might not be the end of the world in a slower multiplayer setting but it's still a problem. One solution to this issue is to cast things at instant speed, often at the End of Turn step of the opponent passing to us.<br />
<br />
But that's not all; combining something like Vedalken Orrery with a Seedborn Muse effect can often let us cast things during each opponent's turn - those of you who played a lot of Prophet of Kruphix before she got banned will pick up on this principal.<br />
<br />
Oh, another aspect of the deck I want to touch on is the "value enchantment" package. It started with Mirari's Wake and Zendikar Resurgent - the two "mana doubling" enchantments. I included those as potential solutions to the whole "only Fisting one thing a turn" problem - if we can make WUBRG, then with either of those on the Battlefield, we can make double-WUBRG! Zendikar Resurgent also has built-in draw, which is great.<br />
<br />
With those in the deck, I immediately looked at Academy Rector for inclusion. But I wasn't sure it was worth running the Old Bitch just for those two cards (okay it probably still would have been, but...), so I looked for more big, expensive value-generating Enchantments we could include as possible targets for Rector to fetch.<br />
<br />
Well, it's pretty damn difficult for me to build a five-color deck without running Maelstrom Nexus, and that fits the bill of hard-to-cast value enchantment. Mind's Dilation and Sunbird's Invocation are also poster-children for that category of cards. Those three, plus the aforementioned Wake and Resurgent round out the package. We also have Leyline of Anticipation for when we really need to give everything we do Flash.<br />
<br />
This is only a few cards, but cheating just one of these out with Rector can generate serious value if it sticks. We don't want to go overboard here, but there are certainly other high-CMC Enchantments that might be fun to cheat into play. We may come back to this topic as well.<br />
<br />
In addition to the value Enchantments, we also have a small subset of creatures that function similarly. Maelstrom Wanderer has Cascade x2, so that's great value. And with all the high-CMC cards in the deck we maximize our chances of hitting something big and splashy and not just mana rocks or utility dorks. Rashmi is pseudo-Cascade and works especially well with the Seedborn/Orrery tech. Etali and Diluvian Primordial give us value by letting us cast our opponents' stuff, scaling upwards the more opponents we have as well.<br />
<br />
Basically the general idea is, we cast things (often at a discount thanks to Jodah/Fist) and those things in turn let us cast other things, often for free. I'd consider Stolen Strategy in this regard, but that requires you to actually pay the mana costs. Boo-urns.<br />
<br />
I think that about does it for the deck tech - the rest of the list is pretty clearly either cheap utility stuff and expensive bombs. Oh, but before I forget: many of you probably know this, but in case you don't - casting Painful Truths for WUBRG off Jodah/Fist let's you "overpay" and draw FIVE cards! You lose five life as well, but still... it's a cute piece of tech I enjoy and I looked for other ways we could take advantage of that little trick, but Painful Truths was, in my opinion, the only truly compelling use case. Oh well.<br />
<br />
And with that, I think we can get on to the troubleshooting phase.<br />
<br />
I already mentioned the ramp suite was not quite up to snuff, but there are a few other small areas of improvement I have noticed while playing the deck. But let's go ahead and get the ramp situation sorted out as it's probably one of the most key elements of the deck's early game plan.<br />
<br />
The astute reader will likely have taken notice that the list above only contains five Basic Lands - one of each type. But the deck also contains the following cards: Sakura-Tribe Elder, Solemn Simulacrum, Kodama's Reach and Cultivate. These are all exceptional cards on their own, of course, but the four ramp cards combine to fetch up a grand total of SIX basic lands - a problem of math, you can see, since six is greater than five. I have had multiple games where I managed to draw one or more of these ramp cards after fully depleting my library of all Basic Lands. Ouch!<br />
<br />
Add to all of that the fact that Basic-only ramp is much less valuable in this particular deck; we would rather have ramp that can get us dual lands where possible, and you can start to see where I'm coming from on this not being the ideal ramp package. Luckily there are some great alternatives that can serve us better.<br />
<br />
But while we're on the topic of sub-optimal ramp, let's also take a look at our mana rock selection. On this portion I think I got a lot closer. Sol Ring and Thought Vessel produce colorless mana, and sure, sometimes you might find yourself needing colored mana more, but they are good enough overall that I have found them well worth running. You might disagree on Vessel in particular, but I have had many games where I was quite glad to have it. But Prismatic Geoscope, on the other hand, has been nothing but a disappointment. I had high hopes for it, as it should essentially be a Gilded Lotus that taps for WUBRG. That seems great on paper, but that damned "enters the battlefield tapped" clause just ruins it every time. I have just hated this card every time I've drawn it.<br />
<br />
So which ramp cards would be better in this deck? I've always been a big fan of the Signets but I don't think they'll work here. I think our best bet is to go with green ramp that finds non-basic lands. And the cheaper, the better. I want to keep STE because it's a good early blocker as well as a super-cheap ramp piece, and I have also gotten great mileage out of Reach/Cultivate when drawn early. It's only after I've drawn/ramped my Basics out that they become dead, useless draws. I also like to have a mix of spells and creatures for various reasons.<br />
<br />
And in general, I want to lower the overall CMC average of our ramp package where possible.<br />
<br />
Given all of these considerations and taking them all into account, here are the requisite changes being made:<br />
<br />
Prismatic Geoscope ---> Skyshroud Claim<br />
Solemn Simulacrum ---> Wood Elves<br />
Kodama's Reach ---> Farseek<br />
<br />
Each spell being cut is being replaced by something cheaper by one mana, so we have succeeded in the goal of lowering our ramp CMC. Solemn is being replaced by Wood Elves, so we're not losing any bodies suitable for blocking early attackers. Losing the draw effect from Sad Robot is trivial in comparison to the value that Wood Elves brings in being cheaper and allowing us to ramp into a dual land. And while Kodama's Reach is great even in this deck, I don't think we need both it and Cultivate, so it loses out to Farseek as another two-mana ramp spell - and 2 CMC is a critical enough point that I felt like Nature's Lore also warranted consideration. If I find the ramp needs further massaging in the future, Lore might come in but for now I think the three swaps above will suffice.<br />
<br />
So what else is not working with this list? Well there are a few cards that aren't performing quite as well as I'd hoped and even if I wind up not cutting some of them, I want to at least examine them and see if there is opportunity for improvement.<br />
<br />
The first is Primeval's Glorious Rebirth. This card was better in earlier iterations, as the deck had a higher number of legendary permanents. It wasn't a tremendous amount, as I only cut a few in total, but it was just enough so that I have started to find Rebirth a dead draw some of the time. Occasionally it is still an utterly backbreaking play, but it is somewhere between dead and underwhelming much more of the time. Assuming we want to keep this slot as some kind of reanimation effect, we have a few other options that may serve us better. Rise of the Dark Realms is certainly one big, splashy version. I think I am even more partial to Debtor's Knell, as Academy Rector gives us another way to cheat it out aside from just Fisting it. I mentioned we might round out the Rector value enchantment suite, so this might be a prime opportunity to do so. However, I have also seen quite a few Jodah decks are running Muldrotha but I haven't managed to fit him into mine - so he's another option I must look at.<br />
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Bring to Light hasn't been terrible by any means, but as it already costs five mana anyway, the Fist/Jodah trick I mentioned in regards to Painful Truths does not apply here. But while I have gotten good value out of Bring to Light so far, each time I cast it I pass by several spells that I wish I could get, but can't. I also keep forgetting it can't get Enchantments and many times Mirari's Wake is the #1 thing I really want to fetch up. But here I'm not sure if the call is to cut Bring to Light or just improve the selection of things it can find.<br />
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Before we get into that little conundrum, I am going to address another card that is under-performing for similar reasons. Baral's Expertise is a great card, but in a deck with such a high number of high CMC cards, I have often failed to capitalize on the "free spell" portion of the card. And when I do get to drop something for free it's almost always a mana rock or ramp spell. Not terrible value by any means, and the tempo play of bouncing three things is quite good on it's own. But if we're going to just write off the whole free spell rider, then surely there is a more impactful thing we can play instead.<br />
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Finally, I'm less and less sure about Rashmi being in the list as I play the deck. She's certainly good - and when you manage to build your own Prophet of Krupix with Seedborm+Orrery/Leyline, she's REALLY good. But that ideal scenario comes up far to infrequently, so most of the time she's just kinda okay. Just okay isn't really what we're looking for, so I think we have to consider giving her the boot as well.<br />
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There are also some newer inclusions that I have yet to really get a chance to test since I've added them in. Animatou's Augury and Star of Extinction are two such cards. I have high hopes for them both but as of yet do not have any games under my belt with those. Also, I had at some point inexplicably cut Consecrated Sphinx, but quickly came to my senses and put it back in after a few games wherein I needed card draw.<br />
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Back to the matter at hand, we have four cards that are at least possibly getting replaced: Rashmi, Rebirth, Bring to Light, and Baral's Expertise. And I have two possible inclusions in mind already in Debtor's Knell and Muldrotha. But I honestly don't really know what I want for the other slots!<br />
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This is a true rarity for me - I almost always have more cards I want to put into a deck than will fit, and I also almost always know what I want for a replacement when a card doesn't wind up working out. But for once, I am not certain - I do think that I probably want to keep the same function for each slot - a big reanimation spell, a defensive/interactive spell, a value generator and a tutor of some kind. But those aren't set in stone either.<br />
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These situations are pretty rare, but when they occur I have a couple of quick and easy sources of inspiration - EDHREC.com and the visual spoilers for the newest couple of Magic sets. I'm pretty much always a few sets (or more) behind on my Magic collecting these days, and even further behind in actually updating my decks. It's kind of a miracle that I have something as recent as Animatou's Augury in this deck but nothing else is anywhere near that current, so we can definitely scope out M19 and Guilds of Ravnica for ideas.<br />
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But let's start with EDHREC, simply because if I find something there I am much more likely to have the card or cards on hand already. M19 and Ravnica are sets I have not yet caught up on.<br />
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... And I'm back. After scouring EDHREC's page for Jodah for several minutes, I am coming back empty-handed. There are plenty of good, powerful cards I am not using such as Expropriate, Elesh Norn or the Eldrazi titans. But I want fun stuff, not make-my-friends-hate-me stuff. Swarm Intellegence is another one of those high-cost value enchantments I love, but I don't think I have quite as many instants and sorceries as you'd need to really make that one work for you. And it actually kinda feels win-more. Animatou's Augury and Tooth and Nail are already pretty back-breaking without needing to double up on them.<br />
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So I turned instead to those recent sets that I have not yet had much of a chance to collect from and play with. M19 offered up a couple of possible choices in Chaos Wand and Vaevictus Asmadi. The Wand is a bit iffy, but there are lots of times, I tap for WUBRG to Fist something into play, but then have 3 or 4 mana left over - not enough to Fist another spell, nor enough to cast any of the big, expensive things still in my hand. Wand lets us use that leftover mana, and is on the theme of stealing our opponents' stuff and casting it for free (well, four generic mana in this case). But hitting sweepers is gonna feel REAL bad when it happens, so the Wand is maybe not my first choice.<br />
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Vaevictus doesn't get much of a cost savings from being Fisted, but his mass-Chaos Warp effect is pretty sweet in a deck this loaded with high-value bombs. But some of those bombs are Instants or Sorceries, so he could whiff a higher-than-desired percentage of the time.<br />
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Guilds of Ravnica didn't yield too many results either. Thief of Sanity could be a suitable replacement for Rashmi - it's cheaper, flies and gets good value off successfully connecting with an opponent. But it also doesn't let us cast what we steal for free - not a deal breaker but also enough to keep it from being an automatic inclusion. Knight of Autumn and Plaguecrafter are basically strictly-better upgrades to Reclamation Sage and Fleshbag Marauder respectively, by the way - but those weren't cards we really needed to upgrade! Just something worth noting for later, nonetheless.<br />
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Battlebond has virtually nothing we want here, and Commander 19 already gave us it's best goodie in Aminatou's Augury. Except that Windgrace's Judgement might be a really good replacement for Baral's Expertise - they're both five-cost spells that answer three things. Since we're rarely getting any value from the "cast a free four-mana spell" rider, it's essentially straight upgrade from a Sorcery-speed "bounce three" to an Instant-speed "destroy three". Seems good.<br />
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And since I had so few other things jump out at me, let's go ahead and just decide now to replace Primeval's Glorious Rebirth with Debtor's Kneel and give the Rector something else to pick from.<br />
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That leaves us with Rashmi and Bring to Light left to worry about. Bring to Light is unique enough that it could be just about anything, and as such it is hard to know what in the heck to replace it with. But as it happens, the card most closely resembles a Tutor. Sure it let's you cast whatever you tutor up for free, right there on the spot. But it's also restricted by CMC and card type. Remember, I frequently lament not being able to get Wake with it. So maybe it should just be an actual tutor - Demonic Tutor maybe? Yeah, I think that'll do nicely. It's cheap enough we could sometimes still cast what we tutor for right away, but even when not it often sets up really strong plays for the following turn. And unlike Bring to Light it has the corner case use of being able to tutor up a land if we're desperate for one. It's a bit boring, but probably the best functionally-similar option we have.<br />
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As for Rashmi, I could leave her and give her more of a chance to prove her worth. Or she could easily give way to either Vaevictus or Muldrotha. This last choice is one I have not yet made up my mind on, and will continue to mull it over.Thaumaturgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07734372825472901455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461869454202308168.post-27101598521880369932018-10-09T16:20:00.000-07:002018-10-09T16:20:16.164-07:00Guilds of Ravnica EDH Set Review: SelesnyaThe final installment wraps things up with a look at the Selesnya cards.<br />
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<b><u>Selesnya</u></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVh8xwgE-nJvmHCmCSp6FitWy-Fkz31nHd1nlhs-ghZDY9wHy-AFfm8DpmhQRVZuP6cD9TfAFvXv5abmFW6Fg4Am7pa2uNZMmTZajgJ2fXOYfIGcIQb7xDuV_Lc90Sy2hExG8VoJRNrlA/s1600/en_4X3RpwYp8C.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="265" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVh8xwgE-nJvmHCmCSp6FitWy-Fkz31nHd1nlhs-ghZDY9wHy-AFfm8DpmhQRVZuP6cD9TfAFvXv5abmFW6Fg4Am7pa2uNZMmTZajgJ2fXOYfIGcIQb7xDuV_Lc90Sy2hExG8VoJRNrlA/s320/en_4X3RpwYp8C.png" width="229" /></a></div>
I really love these types of spells - the ones that save your team from a Wrath effect. But I feel like this one is just a bit too costly to leave up. Sure, if you're playing with Cradle or maybe Priest of Titania, it can be workable. But even the 4-mana ones like Faith's Reward, I have found to be very hard to make use of. I think the sweet spot for these effects is 2 to 3 mana. I doubt we're going to get another Heroic Intervention anytime soon, but there are a few 3-mana versions already.<br />
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In most decks, I don't think the untap effect will be worth the premium you're paying for this.<br />
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Another guild, another disappointing guildmage. Six mana for a single 2/2 is terrible. It's clear WotC has balanced this cycle for Limited. Oh well.<br />
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See, this is why the guildmage above sucks. This is EIGHT power and toughness worth of creatures for four mana! Still probably not prime EDH material. The main sticking point being that it has a "dies" trigger which is more of a Golgari thing, in terms of what types of decks can most abuse this.<br />
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Yeah, I get why it's not, but man I wish this was a Golgari card instead.<br />
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Flower is an effect very few decks in EDH want. 99.9% of the time we'd much rather put the land directly into play, and there are plenty of good, cheap cards that do just that. Flourish is also a pretty terrible cost/effect ratio when compared to other cards we have access to. I can't think of a single archetype that would want this over almost any other Overrun variant.<br />
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This might walk a fine line between "win-more" and just "win". It's Instant speed, and has convoke, so I think it lands in the "win" column. Unlike in 60-card, 1v1 Magic, token-based go wide decks often need to go REALLY wide to push through defenses. I think this accomplishes that goal nicely. And being an Instant means you minimize your risk of being blown out by a sweeper immediately after casting it. Very solid card for GW token decks.<br />
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Holy crap, Reclamation Sage just got the same treatment Fleshbag Marauder got with Plaguecrafter. It is unfortunate that in this case, the upgraded version didn't stay mono-color. Still, this is straight up staple material in any deck that can run it.<br />
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Sure, it's just going to be Rec Sage probably 75% of the time, but the other modes can be useful in a pinch. If you just need a fast threat to pressure an enemy Planeswalker or get some +1/+1 counter synergies going, a 4/3 for three ain't bad.<br />
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Put this in a blink deck like Roon and it really seems like a winner. Great utility creature with versatile options.<br />
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Eh, I typically like these sorts of cards, but this one not so much. It does a lot for six mana, I'll give it that. But most of the time I think I'd rather have Shamanic Revelation, or in some cases, Rishkar's Expertise. Still, if you're on GW tokens and starved for even more card draw, this ain't strictly terrible.<br />
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I'm not impressed with either side of this card, and I don't think the versatility factor does enough to save it.<br />
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So, that about does it for the full set review. I have to say, I went into this thinking Guilds of Ravnica was pretty close to being a home run, even though right from the outset I thought it fell short of the amazingness Battlebond and Dominaria. But after the review, I feel it falls even shorter than expected. It's not bad, by any means, and there's a lot of good stuff, but much of the power in the set feels very highly concentrated in a few rares/mythics while much of the rest of the set winds up feeling like many cards are just a hair too much mana or just slightly nerfed from older versions of their effects.<br />
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But on the flip side, I'm glad this set isn't loaded up with instant staples a la Cyclonic Rift. There are a lot of cards that aren't broadly powerful but should be quite good in specific decks. And that's fine! I build and play a wide variety of decks and I'm constantly experimenting and trying new things. So I will probably get a chance to use a fair few of these niche cards. Of course, if you're the type that just runs only one or a few decks, or you stick to specific archetypes, you may or may not get much mileage out of such a set as this one.<br />
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Well, until next time, enjoy!<br />
<br />Thaumaturgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07734372825472901455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461869454202308168.post-89932609785920315672018-10-05T10:45:00.003-07:002018-10-09T11:08:51.677-07:00Guilds of Ravnica EDH Set Review: IzzetIzzet time for Izzet yet? It izz!<br />
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Ugh, sorry for that. Moving on.<br />
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<b><u>Izzet</u></b><br />
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Dammit, who let Snoop Dogg start naming Magic cards?<br />
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This card is significantly worse than Prophetic Bolt and even I hardly ever play that card anymore. Bad card is bad, but the name is an unforgivable sin.<br />
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This is one of the only split cards in the set where both halves feel likely to be pretty relevant or useful. Unfortunately they both feel at tad too expensive. But you're paying a premium for that versatility, I guess. Early game, copying a ramp or draw spell from an opponent is a perfectly reasonable use. Late game, you restock your hand while dealing with a threat. Not a bad effect at all, if you can swing the mana.<br />
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I can't think of any super cool plays involving this guy, but my gut tells me they're out there.<br />
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Not the best counterspell in the format by any stretch. It's fine, but that 2 damage is just way too inconsequential. If it was more of Parallectric Feedback stitched onto a Counterspell so you could at least savage someone casting a huge X-spell, I'd like it a lot more. As is, though, there are quite a few 3-mana counters with upside that I'd play before this one.<br />
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Invert is way to corner-case to ever really be playable on it's own, and while Invent is a good effect, the high mana cost isn't likely to leave you with enough left over to cast anything after it, so people are likely going to have a turn to prepare for whatever you tutor up.<br />
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Of course in a cost reduction scenario, such as with Mizzix for example, it probably gets a lot better. At, potentially, two mana it seems very playable. <br />
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This is almost as nuts as that Dimir mythic. Yes, it's a do-nothing 6-drop the turn you play it (unless you have a TON of mana to use). And then it's probably not much more than a combo piece that just ends the game when your opponents are unwise or unlucky enough to let you untap with it.<br />
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It's cool enough that I really want to play this even though I don't like combo-y decks and my group doesn't either.<br />
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Yikes. Good abilities, but way too expensive to be practical. Having to actually pay full retail plus R to copy a spell is not a good rate. Four mana to draw a card is the current norm, but that doesn't mean it's a good rate either.<br />
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Fantastic illustration aside, this card blows.<br />
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This is a pretty neat card but I guess you really only play this if Aetherflux Reservoir is just way too mean for your playgroup. Personally, I'd never get to deal damage with this as I wouldn't be able to pass up drawing cards all the time.<br />
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I think this might find it's best use case in decks like Shu Yun where you are looking to capitalize on casting lots of super cheap instants and sorceries in other ways. This will just be one more way to get "added value" on your Ponders, Paths and Distortion Strikes.<br />
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So, that's it for the Izzet. Not terrible but not impressive either, save that bonkers mythic. I'm not really into anything here, but that's because Spellslinger decks just aren't a good fit for my group. We generally play without countermagic (exceptions do exist but are minimal), so playing decks that can really only be interacted with on the stack is kind of a shitty thing to do.<br />
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I've tried making a few versions of Izzet Spells in the past with Melek and other commanders, by making them win via a big token producer or something along those lines. That way, I'm still winning with permanents that can be interacted with on the battlefield. Ultimately those decks still wind up being very combo-ish feeling even if they technically don't truly combo off. Bascially, you build up to one big turn then ask if anyone has an answer right then - if they don't you win, if they do, you probably lose.<br /><br />
So as much as I like these cards in theory, it's all but impossible for me to put them to use without some damage to the social contract within our group. But, it's Ravnica after all. Being mad that the Izzet get a bunch of spells matter stuff is like being mad that the Boros cards are all about attacking and beating down.Thaumaturgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07734372825472901455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461869454202308168.post-28190569869711586222018-10-04T14:12:00.002-07:002018-10-08T06:33:43.741-07:00Guilds of Ravnica EDH Set Review: GolgariAh, the Golgari - my favorite guild. In terms of flavor/characters/aesthetics, I still hold Orzhov in the highest regard. But when it comes to building and playing decks, nothing beats the Golgari. Meren... Savra... Gitrog... Hapatra.<br />
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I have high hopes for this one. Let's hope they pan out.<br />
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<b><u>Golgari</u></b><br />
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I don't love it, but it does what some Golgari decks want to be doing, and it's Skullclamp fodder when you're done. Seems fine.<br />
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Well, okay then, this is more like it.<br />
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If you are on more of a Savra/Grave Pact flavor of Golgari then this might not be too exciting, but for Meren, Gitrog and anything Dredge-y, this card's stock shoots way up.<br />
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In short, if you wanna fill your graveyard quickly but a few Surveil cards here and there aren't equal to the task, this here's your guy.<br />
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Ewww! I do NOT like exiling my own things out of my own graveyard. Please do not ask me to do so. And if you are going to anyway, definitely don't offer me a generic, midsize attacker as my only reward for doing so. I have a hard enough time delving for a Treasure Cruise and you know how much I love to draw cards. Well, I like attacking with big Trample guys, too, but not THAT much.<br />
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Decent at first glance, but there's another card coming up... you know what it is already... also, in C18 we got Windgrace's Judgment, and before that, well, B/G just has a vertiable cornucopia of good-ass removal already.<br />
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Cute. Seems good for Virtus/Gorm decks, if anyone is playing those partners.<br />
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Whoomp, there it is! THE card of the set. The one everyone is talking about because it's playable in basically every format in which it is legal. And even in EDH it is fantastic removal.<br />
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Unfortunately this is going to carry a hefty price tag for the foreseeable future. Fortunately, as I previously mentioned, Golgari decks already have a plethora of great removal options to pick from anyway, so this is in no way essential.<br />
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In short, if you have these, you WILL run them. But at the same time, there is no real need to go out of your way to get them. It's just removal, folks. GOOD removal, yeah, but not that big a deal.<br />
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Bleh. Possibly the worst of the new guildmages. I don't like the art much, either.<br />
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This is not bad, though Finality is a tad overcosted. Definitely good in lower-powered groups, but gets pretty marginal as the power and skill level of the group scales up. <br />
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<span id="goog_1099258446"></span>Nope. Still not enough to dethrone Eternal Witness as the best card in it's class. Being bigger actually hurts a utility creature like this, as often times you just want to get their ETBF effect, then Skullclamp them for even more value.<br />
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Eh, but he is an Elf and a Shaman, so tribal considerations may change the valuation slightly. Also if you really need non-spell versions, for like a Genesis Wave deck or something, I guess it works as E-Wit number two.<br />
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Playable, but far from the best version of this effect.<br />
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Well mixed bag it is then. Golgari get the #1 most-hyped card in the set, but it's just a boring removal spell, which is something Golgari players didn't exactly need in our format. We'll happily take it, but it isn't really adding anything new to the game. The uncommons were pretty unspectacular across the board as well. Oh, but that mythic is pretty damn good. And even the more mediocre cards seem like they could have niche uses here and there.<br />
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Overall, I'm let down, but the few good cards are REALLLLLY good, and since the Dimir didn't suck this time, I'll forgive a somewhat weak batch of Golgari stuff. I mean, it's already the best two-color combination in the format so it didn't exactly need a lot of help.Thaumaturgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07734372825472901455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461869454202308168.post-37673189513367932722018-10-03T13:31:00.000-07:002018-10-09T16:21:11.801-07:00Guilds of Ravnica EDH Set Review: DimirMore multicolor cards to ogle! This time, the Dimir is up for inspection. Let's see how they do.<br />
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<b><u>Dimir</u></b><br />
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Hey, another Common actually made it into the review. That this even gets a mention at all, though, speaks to the potential power of Surveil. Sure, most decks would still prefer Scry, but EDH is rife with graveyard-based strategies and decks, and it is those decks in which Surveil is going to make a splash. Read the Bones is playable, so in decks that also have Blue and care about their graveyard, this will be even better.<br />
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Meh.<br />
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Obviously these cards are never good in our format. But one of these days, WotC will just have to print a version of this that does scale for multiplayer. Being able to just go in and preemptively hit everyone's Sol Rings would be funny.<br />
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Connive is going to be hard to get real value out of in a format of huge creatures. But, then again, some of the scariest creatures can be small ones - Zur the Enchanter, Brago, Derevi? That definitely makes this a niche/meta call at best.<br />
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On the other hand, Concoct is a reasonably good card on it's own. This is definitely the mode you want to be casting most often, but as mentioned the other half has real applications as well.<br />
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Holy shit, this card.<br />
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I have to rebuild my old Wrexial deck.<br />
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I've seen a lot of... tempered... reactions to this card, and I get it. I mean, yeah, you cast this and you still have to cough up the mana to cast all your opponents' goodies.<br />
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I maintain that, while that is all very true, this is still a bonkers card.<br />
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Geez, twist my arm, will ya? I already said I was rebuilding Wrexial! Get off my case about it.<br />
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Seriously, this is basically a Shadowmage Infiltrator that is about 1000% more annoying, and will piss people off enough that you'll likely never actually connect with it.<br />
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But, man, do I love it!<br />
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Okay, this is odd. The Surveil interaction is all but worthless, as there just aren't enough cards with Surveil overall, and the decks that want to run a lot of Surviel probably don't actually want this card all that much.<br />
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But, "blink" decks are a thing, and thanks to Aminatou, they are getting a bit of renewed interest. If you're on any kind of Esper Blink strategy, I'd definitely give this a shot.<br />
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Oh, hey, a guildmage that actually MIGHT be sorta playable in a few decks here and there. Again, this speaks highly to the appeal of Surveil and this is one of the only repeatable sources of the ability. In a pinch it can also hold off a Rafiq or some other threat for as long as it needs to.<br />
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Slight chance this one breaks out from the rest.<br />
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Not super into either half of this split spell. Both modes are fine, but fine just doesn't get you there. It's not a HARD pass - I can envision a world where this winds up in your Wrexial or Lazav deck, but at the same time, there are probably better options for either half.<br />
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Well, color me surprised. I think my favorite thing about this set so far is how much the Dimir did NOT get shafted this time! In prior Ravnica sets, they have been, on the whole, on the weaker side of the spectrum. This partly has to do with their main focus being "mill" effects, which are obviously weaker in a format where you need to mill almost 300 cards rather than 60ish. This time, however, they definitely got some sweet stuff. Surveil is possibly the best new keyword in the set. The guildmage is possibly the only one in the cycle (so far) that is good enough to make the cut. That mythic is just insane. And Thief of Sanity is highly playable as well. All told, I'm very pleased with this crop of cards.Thaumaturgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07734372825472901455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461869454202308168.post-2379871850667606932018-10-02T12:50:00.000-07:002018-10-09T16:21:51.542-07:00Guilds of Ravnica EDH Set Review: BorosSo, the mono-color portion of the set was hit and miss. And honestly it leaned a little heavily toward the miss end of the spectrum. Sure there were a few bombs and a few more solid cards, but the chaff definitely outnumbered the good stuff.<br />
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But, it's Ravnica, after all, so naturally the cream of the crop should most often be found in the multi-color cards. Let's find out if that holds true, or if the set continues to be moderately underwhelming.<br />
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<b><u>Boros</u></b><br />
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This cycle of Guildmages is pretty disappointing overall. Tapping to use their abilities is a new thing, and I don't like it. Sure, you might ask "How often do you actually use their abilities more than once in a turn anyway?" Fair question.<br />
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A better one would be "How often do you put guildmages in your decks at all?" Probably not often, I would guess. Outside of a few niche combo applications very few of the guildmages see any real play.<br />
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At the end of the day, however, the key to fixing that isn't to make them <i>worse</i>.<br />
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An absolutely outstanding 2-drop for Equipment-heavy Boros decks. Those three keywords together are a dream come true.<br />
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Well this is just going to get annoying, smart-ass replies, now, whenever someone asks "Do you have a response?" I can just see it now. "I do not have a Response... but I do have this counterspell." Screw you, WotC, for making a card just called "Response" - that was highly irresponsible.<br />
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Oh, there's another half? Right! Anyway, you're clearly playing this hoping to use the Resurgence half, with the Response half being a nice "just in case" option.<br />
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Ultimately, what might make this playable is that the Response half is Sunforger-able, which means you can get cheaty with Resurgence.<br />
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Damage-base sweepers are, generally, not that great in EDH unless they scale (Lavalanche), or just do a ton (Blasphemous Act). This one'll get some play for it's flexibility, plus it's probably good in specific decks like Gisela, Firesong and Sunspeaker, or the new Tajic. Could be a meta call, too, if you have a lot of weenie swarm decks in your playgroup. Niche card, at best.<br />
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Borderline garbage, given that White already has quite an array of fantastic removal that far outshines this. I merely included this for that stunning artwork.<br />
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Would be funny to hit a Phyrexian Negator with this, but no one plays that.<br />
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I generally dislike these sorts of cards in EDH as there is such a high capacity for even the best-laid of plans to go horribly awry in unpredictable ways. Someone has Aetherize or Teferi's Protection, you're in real trouble. But it can win games, so it'll probably be playable. I'd actually like it more if it was a "choose one or more" template, where you can just use it as a Boros Charm in a pinch. Oh well.<br />
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This is actually pretty decent, but the mana requirements are a bit of a downer. I don't think you really play this unless you're just going deep on the Mentor thing.<br />
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Almost certainly not a good card in EDH, but that triggered ability COULD have some applications with certain equipment like, oh, Basilisk Collar maybe? Yeah, that could get some work done.<br />
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That's a bit better - three rares with at least niche play-ability, and a mythic that will certain get played even if I don't like it much myself. The doublestriking 2-drop is the only one I'm really over the moon for; that guy is just great. And I do really want to try and make the Swathcutter+Basilisk Collar dream happen, just once!<br />
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Anyway, if you like Boros decks already, then you're probably happy with what we got here, but nothing is likely to change your mind if you don't like Boros.Thaumaturgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07734372825472901455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461869454202308168.post-86370190704104370022018-10-01T13:11:00.000-07:002018-10-09T16:22:10.070-07:00Guilds of Ravnica EDH Set Review: Red, Green, ColorlessToday in our EDH Set Review for the upcoming Guilds of Ravnica, we're knocking out the rest of the mono-colored stuff, as well as the colorless bits. Once again, we have a lot of ground to cover, so we're cutting short the preamble.<br />
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Definitely not meant for EDH play. The kind of spellslinger decks that are likely to be able to cast 3 spells a turn, don't really want a single 3/2 flyer as the payoff.<br />
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And this, too, is basically unplayable in EDH.<br />
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Okay now this I think we can work with. Nivix Cyclops on steroids can get some work done. Eight tougness means this thing is likely to actually survive attacks, and in a Spells Matter deck, it shouldn't be hard to get the power into double digits.<br />
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The 2 damage part isn't likely to make much of a splash in the format of going big or going home, but the other option can kill everything from Sol Ring to Ugin, the Spirit Dragon. Seems good, but Red is already pretty damn good at killing mana rocks, so I'm not sure how much this guy matters outside of Goblin decks.<br />
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It's a small payoff for the spellslinger archetype, but that could be a plus. At least initially, the effect is small enough to be more annoying than threatening, meaning this can get some incremental value before anyone makes a concerted effort to get rid of it.<br />
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Might show up in some mono-Red decks, but overall, this just isn't a card that most EDH decks can get any real mileage out of.<br />
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Eh, we're used to Red getting the shaft, though. A lot of their design space tends to produce cards that are fine for single opponents with 20 life, but do not scale well when you add more opponents with higher life totals.<br />
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This seems kinda janky, but I love that they are experimenting with ways to let the non-draw colors have some card draw. This and Stolen Strategy from Battlebond are interesting designs and both are likely to see some play.<br />
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Goblin tribal fodder, I guess. Krenko, maybe?<br />
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Greater Good, meet Impervious Greatwurm. Sac, draw 16? Seems legit.<br />
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Man, what a weird design! Weird art, too.<br />
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Card itself seems pretty awful. A four-mana 6/6 is great and all, but it comes with one hell of a potential downside. But, in the same set, we have a five-mana 6/6 that's pure upside, in a color that is much less about undercosted beef. What is R&D even doing?<br />
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Compares pretty poorly to Seasons Past and All Suns' Dawn; multicolored cards only is just a bit too restrictive. I guess if you're playing a deck with a very high % of gold cards, maybe. Even then, maybe not.<br />
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Oh are we still on Gate-based ramp, WotC? Cause that was such a hit last time...<br />
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For reals, though, don't play this unless you are on 5C Maze's End.<br />
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Hey, look, Experiment Two is in the set, even though the Simic guild aren't! Neat.<br />
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Not a fantastic card for EDH, however. Probably worse than Scute Mob despite having (conditional) Trample.<br />
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Solid card draw for Green, not that it needed it all that badly. Still, good clean design, relevant to Green's biggest shtick. I like it.<br />
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Good value, but probably not the best payoff for setting up a high Undergrowth number. I might be biased, however, as the art totally icks me out.<br />
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Holy crap, what a terrible card! Woof.<br />
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Basically garbage. Only goes in 5-color decks, but those decks basically never want effects this janky. And even when they do, there are better janky things you can do.<br />
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This will get played more than it should, I suspect. It's not absolutely terrible, per se, but it's also probably not quite impactful enough even in deck that want some variation of this effect. See also, Codex Shredder - a card that is arguably better than this, but still isn't actually all that good.<br />
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Still, it's Trinket Mage-able, and cheap to use, so I expect it to be played anyway.<br />
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This cycle is, at least in two-color decks, probably a bit better than the Cluestones we got last time. But at the same time, they are still lightyears behind Signets. Certain color pairs will want these more than others.<br />
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Basically, any Locket that contains either Blue or Green as one of it's colors should see pretty close to zero play. But the ones that don't contain either of those two colors (Boros, Orzhov, Rakdos) might be alright running theirs.<br />
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Also the Lockets are basically unplayable in decks of 3 or more colors.<br />
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Decent if unexciting for decks that care a good deal about +1/+1 counters. Ghave, Anafenza, Marath, etc. Usually worse than Opal Palace, but can at least put counters on your non-Commander creatures, provided they are multicolored. Underwhelming, but you'll still be obligated to run it in those types of decks.<br />
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God, why do they keep making Rupture Spires?!<br />
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Seriously, I don't even think this is playable in Maze's End decks... though of course I'm not speaking from experience. For the five to ten of you out there still trying to win with Gates, I'm guessing you are pretty disappointed as well.<br />
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All told this was a pretty disappointing batch of cards. But we're now to the point we get to look at the multicolor stuff, which should - hopefully - provide a much better yield of playables. Guess we'll find out together in the next installment!<br />
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<br />Thaumaturgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07734372825472901455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461869454202308168.post-11974326178737238602018-09-26T14:51:00.001-07:002018-09-26T14:52:11.025-07:00Guilds of Ravnica EDH Set Review: White, Blue and BlackWelcome back to the Guilds of Ravnica EDH set review, part two. This time we're taking a look at the White, Blue and Black cards of the set. This will be longer than the last one, by quite a wide margin, so let's just jump right in.<br />
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This has "token deck staple" written all over it. Sure, to some folks it is just a five mana do-nothing or win-more, but I think that's a narrow view. There are a lot of decks that are good at cranking one 1/1 tokens, but in EDH, you need a LOT of 1/1's to make a credible threat - but it takes far fewer 4/4 Angels to have a legit impact. For most token decks, this should be up there with Doubling Season and Cathars' Crusade as high-priority enchantments - the only real issue is that the 5-mana slot is become quite crowded with these sorts of effects. Still, if you are playing tokens and finding yourself with an army of 1/1's that just gets outclassed and unable to properly get through, try this out.<br />
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Kinda wish this could hit Planeswalkers, but perhaps that is only because the last Commander set had Planeswalker commanders. Anyway, this is a solid bit of removal, but sadly it is a white card, and white has plenty of solid removal already. Where this does possibly shine is in something like Alesha, Who Smiles at Death - but that it only targets legendary permanents will always be a big damper on it's performance. I think this is a highly niche card at best.<br />
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Fantastic card! White card draw is a rarity, and we'll take all we can get ,so long as it isn't Armistice levels of terrible. While this can be a tad pricey, I'll still happily run it in any W/x deck with a even moderate lifegain package.<br />
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Reverse Retribution of the Meek? Cool. Potentially a three-mana Wrath of God? Very cool. I don't think this is anywhere near as good as actual Retribution of the Meek but it can work in a pinch. R.I.P. Arcades and Doran decks, though. :(<br />
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I expect this to get played a LOT in the early days after release, but taper off over time, as people realize it's a lot harder to get that one-sided value that you can often get via Retribution.<br />
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Intro deck rare incoming! This is pretty bad, but it's an Angel and has some really sweet art, so it gets played anyway, here and there.<br />
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This I actually like. There are for sure decks out there that want all the "put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control" effects they can get. Historically, those effects have been rather expensive, mana-wise. But lately, WotC seems to be pushing the effect a bit, making them cheaper to cast. Since this one is potentially FREE, it's going to be hard to beat. Plus it's on a body, not a spell, so easier to blink/recur for more value!<br />
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Wow, solid uncommon utility spell! Not something we get a ton of these days, so I'm happy to see it. This clearly competes with Return to Dust, which is a bona fide staple. Thing is, I think this is as good or better roughly half the time, and only marginally worse the other half.<br />
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One place I think this card actually beats out Return to Dust is in W/U decks that are heavily geared toward playing at Instant speed - you almost always wind up casting Return as a sorcery to get full value, but this you can always cast as an Instant and not lose out.<br />
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If you see a lot of decks that are very heavy one of the two permanent types you probably still want Return (or both!), but otherwise, I think this is a tiny bit better.<br />
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The thing that's going to kill this is that CMC. Otherwise, there's a lot to love about this Nightmare Sphinx. It doesn't have the best stats, P/T-wise but Flash, Flying and those ETBF triggers are all very sweet.<br />
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I think the main factor that will determine how playable this is to you is how much you value the Surveil 4. If that's just incidental value, then this might be just a hair overcosted. But if your deck can make serious use of that Surveil effect, then you can probably justify the expense.<br />
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Also, that art... *shudders*<br />
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Oh, I get it, it's basically Elvish Piper for spells! Neat. No one plays Piper anymore though. Still, this is probably better, but all anyone is ever going to do with this is cheese shit like Expropriate - and there are better ways to do that already - Jodah, Fist of Suns, Narset.<br />
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Still, in this format, if there's a way to get a six-mana discount on your nine-mana spells, someone is going to take that offer. Plus he's a wizard, so tribal synergies likely count for something.<br />
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Oh wow, nice. At worst this is just a budget replacement for Snapcaster Mage. But in some decks this could be even better. You're trading in the 2/1 body for Surveil 2. In EDH, I think Surveil 2 is likely to be better than a Savannah Lion more often than not. Still, just having a surprise chump-blocker is sometimes useful, so Snapcaster will still win out in some decks.<br />
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Oh, and one other thing - Snapcaster won't let you overload that Cyclonic Rift in your graveyard... this will. <br />
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Well it's a three mana clone, with sorta-flashback, so that's cool. But it restricts targets to creatures you control, so no copying your opponents' stuff. I think more often than not, that restriction is enough to outweigh the things in the Pro column.<br />
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Perhaps a more suitable analogue would be Cackling Counterpart. I have absolutely made good use of Cackling Counterpart before, and in the right decks, it's actually pretty great.<br />
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The key difference here is, Counterpart is an Instant; this ain't. So, once again, this seems good but falls short of existing options.<br />
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I don't get why this is rare - these effects are pretty much always common or uncommon. And it's not even the most powerful version of this effect. But if you have a deck with Sphinx's Tutelage and Jace's Erasure... here's one more for ya!<br />
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Seems playable in like a hypothetical rogue tribal (we'll get there eventually, if they keep printing the odd one here and there). Maybe non-cutthroat Edric decks too.<br />
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And to wrap up the Blue cards, a laughably bad Talrand impersonator... that will still get played in Izzet decks that already run Talrand and Young Pyro.<br />
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Okay, yeah so that's a mythic. 6/6 Flying and Trample for 5 mana is already a solid threat. The activated ability is the real goods, though. There are a lot of graveyard oriented decks in EDH and this is powerful fuel for many of them.<br />
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Even if you're not getting back the most exciting things, this is still pretty good value. But on the other hand, Living Death exists.<br />
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The dream of course is to use Buried Alive to set up some ideal trio of creatures that for a combo or at least a powerful synergy but I'm still having a hard time coming up with scenarios where Living Death doesn't just do the same thing, but better.<br />
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Possible budget tutor option for graveyard decks? It's not great but it's definitely playable.<br />
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Ouch, this is strictly worse than Grim Haruspex by a pretty wide margin. I guess you might still pick this for a zombie tribal deck, but you wouldn't be happy about it.<br />
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Hell it's also pretty much objectively worse than Dark Prophecy; as an enchantment, Dark Prophecy is less vulnerable to removal, and it doesn't have the "nontoken" restriction.<br />
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Another weird sweeper. Huh. Pretty bad for EDH as the vast majority of creatures with a CMC of three or less tend to be relatively non-threatening utility dorks. It's certainly meta-dependent though. If you see a lot of low-to-the-ground aggro decks like Alesha or whatnot, you will definitely want to give this a shot.<br />
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Cool name, but not a great card. The primary issue is, of course, there not being nearly enough cards with Surveil to make this viable in a 100-card singleton format. Plus, a 3/1 lifelinker isn't all that exciting or relevant once you do buy him back. Hard pass, even in a vampire tribal deck.<br />
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Possible finisher for Dredge decks, or just a worse Gray Merchant for Meren? You decide.<br />
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OH HOLY SHIT, YES!!!<br />
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Fleshbag Marauder just got a serious upgrade and I cannot be more happy! My only hope is that the do for this guy what they did for Fleshbag - i.e., make functional reprints with different names and, sometimes, slightly different stats, so we can effectively run 3 or 4 of these.<br />
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This is easily the best uncommon in the set, and puts a number of rares to shame.<br />
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And here we have one of the only commons in the set worth mentioning. This probably isn't even that good, but I'm still quite excited by this. In 60-card, 1v1 Magic, I have, over many years, gotten a TON of mileage out of Ravenous Rats - in fact, Ravenous Rats was easily my favorite common creature of all time, until they printed Mulldrifter.<br />
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I've always been a little sad that Ravenous Rats is just straight garbage in EDH, especially multiplayer FFA games. This... well.. this probably isn't very good either, really. But if you are looking for more discard effects that say "each opponent..." rather than "target opponent...", well, here ya go.<br />
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And that about does it for this one, folks. I'm digging this set quite a bit, but at the same time I can't help but feel like they're pulling their punches just a bit. Dominaria was always going to be a very tough act to follow for our crowd, but I figured if any plane could deliver a set to rival it, it would be Ravnica. But we haven't gotten to the multicolor stuff yet - hopefully that's where we'll see this set really shine.Thaumaturgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07734372825472901455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461869454202308168.post-22635226283466360602018-09-25T11:31:00.001-07:002018-09-25T11:31:24.737-07:00Guilds of Ravnica EDH Set Review: Legends and Planeswalkers!Kicking off a new set review! Haven't done a proper one of these in forever. So I'm going to ease into it with a shorter one today. We'll see how it goes from here.<br />
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This first part, we're just going to cover the new Legendary Creatures and a couple of Planeswalkers. Legends are always of particular interest to us Commander players, for obvious reasons, so it makes sense to start with some of the cards we might be most excited about.<br />
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But just to be a bit of a stinker, I'm going to do the Planeswalkers first. LOL.<br />
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Bleh. The first Ral card wasn't even that great, this one seems about on par. Maybe better in some cases, worse in others, but it's never going to be a high performer. You're basically only including this for flavor/theme or if you're just jamming some janky Superfriends and need all the 'Walkers you can get.<br />
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Also it's kinda odd that his +1 is more or less Surveil, the Dimir keyword. Random. Anyway, Ral is bad and the art is awful.<br />
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Well, okay, better. Art-wise, at least, this puts that Ral card to shame. Ability-wise it's still only so-so, but it at least seems like this Vraska will be good in the right types of decks. The main issue I have is that her -3 is so restrictive and aside from killing Sol Rings and Signets, there isn't a TON of stuff you'd want to put your 'Walker to 1 loyalty to kill.<br />
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But, I can never outright dismiss any Planeswalker that has a card draw ability, and especially one tied to a + ability. The sacrifice can be quite a steep cost, but in a lot of Golgari decks, it can actually be more valuable than the draw!<br />
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This might actually be the best iteration of Niv-Mizzet we've seen yet. In fact I'm almost certain it is. Sure, that mana cost is crazy restrictive, I'll grant you. Don't see this guy showing up in decks with three or more colors, but whatever. This guy's got a lot going for him otherwise, and I'm pretty sure he'll see plenty of action.<br />
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How good a commander he'll make remains to be seen, but he's definitely going to be in the 99 of a lot of Spellslinger decks. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhczSZd5vG8JEnk0Ey-dDrFPkwJhM11y7Mc0Kt-kCgQuB8VxmfQKUJs9tnNBYkmNypkQMw0Bl6btB9aG2oywLMqUbDQYnLAU-rFoDBpvz_CWr7ARKW1q_kwaXVbUbPv4N699OG9oYX0Cyk/s1600/en_7CS3PIklLT.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="265" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhczSZd5vG8JEnk0Ey-dDrFPkwJhM11y7Mc0Kt-kCgQuB8VxmfQKUJs9tnNBYkmNypkQMw0Bl6btB9aG2oywLMqUbDQYnLAU-rFoDBpvz_CWr7ARKW1q_kwaXVbUbPv4N699OG9oYX0Cyk/s320/en_7CS3PIklLT.png" width="229" /></a></div>
I still can't quite figure out how this is Mythic. I guess it's the Homeward Path-esque rider that they clearly tacked on because, as a Mythic, it needed some more text to jazz it up.<br />
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As cool as it is to have an Anthem in the command zone, I think Ravos Soultender has shown that an understated 5-drop isn't especially compelling, and his other ability is way better than her extra text.<br />
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Being a (small) army-in-a-can is also a plus, but not enough of one, in my estimation. She'll get plenty of play in the 99 of some GW token decks but is not the best option to lead those decks. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLK3J_DSUB-9FG1trX412wNbfKUDOPzGNnMdegaLm5jdOyhc_wJ_Oz22jLSWPoibjm9OFhFXHD_CKT46ws4jXbGDWJDexIBHMEam-xKQt0Li3YDozHQhhlP7Xn46GGm0HKNSMI_CNRkd4/s1600/en_bma8wruaIa.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="265" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLK3J_DSUB-9FG1trX412wNbfKUDOPzGNnMdegaLm5jdOyhc_wJ_Oz22jLSWPoibjm9OFhFXHD_CKT46ws4jXbGDWJDexIBHMEam-xKQt0Li3YDozHQhhlP7Xn46GGm0HKNSMI_CNRkd4/s320/en_bma8wruaIa.png" width="229" /></a></div>
Jeez that text box is just nutso. There's so much to process there! But the takeaway is that she first assassinates three of your guys, then she kills you. In between all that you have to draw and recast her. In Commander, of course, her self-tuck can be somewhat remedied by sending her back to the command zone. Or even better bounce her to your hand to dodge that pesky commander tax.<br />
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In short, you have a LOT of hoops to jump through just to kill someone with an alt-win condition. But EDH players tend to like jumping through hoops and the ones that play alt-win cards are even more prone to it.<br />
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Don't know if she's GOOD, but she's certainly UNIQUE. <br />
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For the most part, I feel like a lot of GRN's Legends are better used in the 99 of other decks, rather than leading their own. Izoni is no exception to that. She definitely feels very Golgari and does a lot of things Golgari decks like to do. But I'd rather play her in a Savra or Meren deck than build around her as a commander.<br />
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Additionally, Izoni doesn't really open up any new deckbuilding space for the Golgari - an Izoni deck will have some differences, of course, but should largely play around in many of the same mechanical areas as her guildmates.<br />
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This dude seems to have a ton of potential for shenanigans. Everyone is already talking about Phyrexian Dreadnought, naturally. Phage also comes up a lot.<br />
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The thing is, I'm not sure he's better than the original Lazav outside of a few cute interactions like that. I kinda hope I'm wrong, but I'm skeptical this guy is really going to take off. He'll certainly appeal to a certain type of player, for sure, but don't think he'll break out beyond that.<br />
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This is more like it, Selesnya. Seems WotC took to heart players' reaction to the Dragon's Maze iteration of Emmara and really went out of their way to make good on that flub.<br />
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Sure, if you get right down to it, Rhys is still the better GW Tokens commander, but I don't think Emmara is out of the running. She has some more interesting synergies as well - Convoke, obviously, but also: Vehicles, Glare or Subdual, and... well that's all I've got off the top of my head.<br />
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Anyway, seems good.<br />
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Ah, Boros, you magnificent, one-trick pony! Firesong and Sunspeaker were such a revelation simply for being different (but not actually <i>good</i>, sadly). But this IS a Ravnica set, after all, and on this plane it actually is pretty hard to envision an actual Boros card that isn't about beating down. Hopefully they'll go back to exploring new ground when we move away from Ravnica.<br />
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As for this particular case, the new Aurelia is alright. She's relatively undercosted and comes down early enough to make a quick dent in some life totals, then provides some small buffs to your other dudes later. She's good at doing what Boros is already good at doing, is the takeway. I prefer the other Aurelia, personally, but this one is acceptable.<br />
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And Tajic is still around as well. Neat. Ooh, this one's got Haste!<br />
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And that's that. For the most part this was a solid but unexciting crop of Legends and Planeswalkers. The Dimir fared a bit better than they usually do, while the Boros fared exactly as well as they usually do. Most of the new potential commanders fail to break new ground, though the couple that do are so odd that they are likely not to find widespread appeal.<br />
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But, while opening up new avenues of deck-building is always something we desire, simply getting playable new cards for our existing deck is worth celebrating as well, and almost all of these cards have the potential to be role-players in their respective niches. And a few of you mad scientist types will have fun trying to slay people with Etrata or one-shot them with Lazav.<br />
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So far Guilds of Ravnica is no Dominaria, but it's got it's own charms nonetheless.Thaumaturgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07734372825472901455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461869454202308168.post-11654715941711853872018-09-24T17:28:00.000-07:002018-10-11T11:26:43.281-07:00C18 Deck Upgrade: Adaptive Enchantment<span style="font-family: inherit;">Since it will probably be next weekend before I get to play another league game and make more updates to the Lands deck, I want to take a break from all that and focus on making some upgrades to another of the C18 precons that I'm not using in the league. Since this is just for fun, I can make all the changes I want and really go all out.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The deck I'm working on today is Adaptive Enchantment, the Bant colored deck focused on enchantments and auras. I've built Bant enchantments in the past, using Jenara, Asura of War as the commander. I had mixed results with that deck, but one of the things I always wished for when playing it was for an "Enchantress" in my command zone. A source of card draw would have made a huge impact on that deck's viability.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Well, luckily, Adaptive Enchantment comes with just such a card: Tuvasa the Sunlit. That's right, for this one, we're ditching the Planeswalker in favor of an alternate. True, Tuvasa is somewhat limited as an enchantress, since she only draws you a maximum of one card per turn - but if we can find a way to cast some enchantments on our opponents' turns as well, we can maximize our draws that way.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Tuvasa gently pushes us toward a Voltron strategy, which I am fine with, but as she triggers on any enchantment, not just auras, we aren't completely obligated to go that way. We can also go wide with things like Sigil of the Empty Throne. And we can probably get up to some shenanigans with Enchanted Evening as well. Lots of options, and I want to explore as many as possible - why limit ourselves to one mode of play when multiple modes of attack are open to us?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Enchantress decks are a heavily- and long-supported archetype so the card pool for us to draw from is very deep. I have a LOT of ideas for this deck but we're not going to be able to fit anywhere near all of them into it. I could probably, actually make three separate decks - one for each of the three commanders, and while they would all still be considered "enchantress" decks, they would all feel and play quite differently.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In fact, if I had the lands to make three Bant decks at once without shafting one of the mana bases, I might actually do that! But alas, as good as my land collection is, I am pretty sure even I could only support two Bant decks at once, and even then it might get spotty. So, for now, we're just going to cram as much as we can into this one deck.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I've already figured out my changes and will break them down by sections. Afterward I'll talk a bit about things that didn't make the cut as well.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Silent Sentinel ---> Sun Titan</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Loyal Guardian ---> Celestial Ancient</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This first batch is just a couple of cards that I feel had almost strictly better options out there. The vast majority of our key cards are going to be cheap enough that Sun Titan is likely to outperform his jank cousin. And while Loyal Guardian provides an effect I'm just flat-out skeptical that this deck even wants at all, if we do end up wanting a 5-drop that puts counters on our team, Celestial Ancient is more on-theme and has a much higher power level (potentially), so we'll at least give the Ancient a shot.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Dictate of Kruphix ---> Satyr Enchanter</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Ever-Watching Threshold ---> Femeref Enchantress</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Loyal Drake ---> Kor Spiritdancer</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-56b2f10d-7fff-cb87-6835-bb706d145755"></span><br /></span>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Yavimaya Enchantress ---> Argothian Enchantress</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Next up, we want to supplement out card draw with more Enchantresses. I think I'm basically running them all, save the O.G. Verduran Enchantress and her color-shifted counterpart, Mesa Enchantress. I'm just not a big fan of the three-mana 0/2's these days. And we probably don't need to overdo it in this category - after all, our we're hoping our commander will fulfill that role most of the time. To make room, I just cut three worse card-draw effects and the one Enchantress that isn't really and Enchantress (you have to draw cards to get that title!).</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Ravenous Slime ---> Faith Healer</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Arixmethes ---> Auratog</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Daxos of Meletis ---> Hanna, Ship’s Navigator</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Phyrexian Rebirth ---> Starfield of Nyx</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Empyrial Storm ---> Replenish</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here we have some sac outlets and recursion pieces. Replenish replaces Empyrial Storm as a much more reliable and synergistic win condition. Hanna and Starfield are slow recursion/value cards. Phyrexian Rebirth was an awkward cut, and I am worried about cutting sweepers but, oh well. Daxos was just clunky and when I played this deck before, he never managed to connect even once. Meanwhile Arixmethes and Ravenous Slime are too <i>very </i>cool new cards I'm excited to use... in other decks. They nobly sacrifice their slots so we can get our sac outlets into the deck.</span><br />
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<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-3be8aee5-7fff-c7fa-e182-3b0c7c4ce617" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Myth Unbound ---> Karmic Justice</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Vow of Wildness ---> Grasp of Fate</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Spawning Grounds ----> Faith’s Fetters</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Soul Snare ---> Darksteel Mutation</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Bant Charm ---> Song of the Dryads</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Vow of Flight ---> Cage of Hands</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span>Obviously we need removal and so that brings us to this batch of enchantment-based removal. This is a category that has a ton of room for selective choices, as the few I've picked out are just the tip of the iceberg. There are a ton of Oblivion Ring variants, but I like Grasp for it's card advantage potential. Faith's Fetters and Song of the Dryads are great because they can shut down more than just creatures - I've even put Fetters on annoying lands like Maze of Ith or Volrath's Stronghold before. Song of the Dryads and Darksteel Mutation are particularly good at neutering enemy commanders without allowing the option of just recasting them. Karmic Justice is one of the all-time great Rattlesnake cards. And Cage of Hands is a Pacifism variant that let's us rebuy and reuse it. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Ground Seal ---> Sterling Grove</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Loyal Unicorn ---> Shalai, Voice of Plenty</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Whitewater Nyads ---> Treachery</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Martial Coup ---> Cyclonic Rift</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Archetype of Imagination ---> Sphere of Safety</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Removal isn't the only form of protection we can use, of course. I like Sterling Grove over Ground Seal here because I'd rather broadly protect my own game plan than narrowly screw over someone else's deck. Plus, Ground Seal doesn't do anything to stop mass-reanimation effects, which are the more scary ones anyway. Shalai provides a much more comprehensive and robust form of protection for our army than the Unicorn does. Spot removal is the bane of decks that want to pile on Auras, so mass-Hexproof is huge. I probably want some redundancy here, actually, but couldn't find room. Cyclonic Rift is powerful, duh. And Sphere of Safety you often see played along side all the other pillow-fort enchantments (Ghostly Prison, Propaganda, etc.) but with all the other Enchantments in the deck, it seems like it can be quite effective on it's own.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Eel Umbra ---> Rancor</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Sage’s Reverie ---> Ethereal Armor</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Genesis Storm ---> Spirit Mantle</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Epic Proportions ---> Angelic Destiny</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Celestial Archon ---> Eidolon of Countless Battles</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Righteous Authority ---> Steel of the Godhead</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Snake Umbra ---> Shield of the Oversoul</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This batch contains our buffs. Like the removal suite mentioned above, this portion has an enormous card pool to choose from. I could easily triple the number above and still not cover all the playable ones. But I think, I hope, I have chosen a good cross section of the best of the bunch. Rancor is essential for Trample, reusability and it forms a powerful draw engine when combined with any Enchantress and Auratog or Faith Healer - basically you can pay G to draw a card as many times as you can afford to. The rest of them all provide some combination of evasion and stat boosts. Pretty basic stuff, really.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Forge of Heroes ---> Noble Hierarch</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Sol Ring ---> Bloom Tender</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Mosswort Bridge ---> Serra’s Sanctum</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span>Meandering River ---> Tundra</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Tranquil Expanse ---> Savannah</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Woodland Stream ---> Tropical Island</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Tranquil Cove ---> Hallowed Fountain</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Blossoming Sands ---> Temple Garden</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Thornwood Falls ---> Breeding Pool</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Terramorphic Expanse ---> Flooded Strand </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Krosan Verge ---> Windswept Heath</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Evolving Wilds ---> Misty Rainforest</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Plains ---> Glacial Fortress </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Plains ---> Sunpetal Grove</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Forest ---> Hinterland Harbor</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Plains ---> Mystic Gate</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Forest ---> Wooded Bastion</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Island ---> Flooded Grove</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And finally we come to the mana base! We really want to reliably hit Tuvasa on turn three as often as possible, so we're going all out to beef up the land package. I feel like we can easily shed a land or two, given that we have greatly reduced the average CMC of the deck and have a commander with built-in card draw. So, I'm cutting one land in favor of Noble Hierarch, which is kind of like a land but can wear auras and attack, in a pinch. Sol Ring felt weirdly out of place being the only Artifact in the entire list; plus, we need colored mana to hit our commander on time, so this is one of the rare times you'll see me cut Sol Ring. Instead, we're going with Bloom Tender which I always like to play with three-color, three-CMC commanders; it let's us do stupid things like casting Tuvasa AND another three-drop on Turn 3. And since I have a couple of Serra's Sanctums but never get to use 'em... here's my chance. Sanctum comes in for the Hideaway land because I just don't like those much.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">After that, it's all just cutting mediocre lands for really, really good ones. ABUR Duals, Fetches, Shocks, etc. You know the drill by now. Just run the best duals you have access to and the fewer ETBF-tapped ones the better. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Well, those are all the changes I have made thus far. I could certainly see going even futher, and a lot of cards I wanted to run wound up on the cutting room floor. I'm also giving the benefit of the doubt to a handful of cards I could see myself cutting later - Estrid and Kestia, the two other new commander options, don't seem super great, but probably are fine cards in their own right, so I'll try them out for a while. Kruphix's Insight should probably just be Plea for Guidance or Three Dreams, but I like that it's so cheap and has a lot of potential for massive card advantage. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hydra Omnivore has no particular synergies but with all the various buffs to give it evasive abilities, it could be a very potent finisher. Boon Satyr is flexible thanks to having Bestow and Flash - I especially like Flash because our commander only draws cards for our first Enchantment spell each turn, so casting enchantments on our opponents's turns is a good way to get around that little restriction. And finally, Aura Gnarlid dodged getting cut simply because it has that evasion ability in addition to just getting bigger. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The rest of the deck seems, on paper, very solid and I wouldn't cut anything else until actual gameplay experience tells me otherwise. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As for what didn't make it... well, there's a ton! Let's see... first of all, I was initially going to run a nasty little "combo" in Enchanted Evening plus Cleansing Meditation or Calming Verse. This is the Enchantment-based version of the old classic Mycosynth Lattice into Vandalblast - i.e. together those cards read, essentially, "destroy all permanents you don't control". That tends to end games pretty decisively. But it is also something some might consider "unfun" - and I might tend to agree with them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For similar reasons I didn't resort to using the old Standard trick of using Sovereigns of Lost Alara to cheat out Eldrazi Conscription. Instead I was going to use Sovereigns to cheat out more fair and fun things like Epic Proportion but eventually I realized I just didn't want those big, clunky auras in the deck at all. Without big, expensive things to cheat out, Sovereigns themselves no longer had much use. But it's definitely something I would consider if you find the deck needs a bit more help closing out games.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For similar reasons, Academy Rector didn't make the cut - there just aren't enough high-value targets for her to cheat out. Cutting almost all of the high-CMC Enchantments really lowers her impact. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">There are five or six cards in both the buff and removal categories that I couldn't squeeze in as well. Stasis Snare, for example, is one removal piece I'd like to have, given that whole Flash synergy I mentioned above. And Daybreak Coronet was one of a few buff auras that I thought were shoe-ins but somehow didn't make the cut after all. Ancestral Mask is very powerful but I skipped in in the end because it always make doing the math to figure out how big your guy is annoyingly difficult, and it doesn't grant any form of evasion or protection. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I mentioned how good mass-Hexproof would be earlier, and so I gave consideration to Privileged Position but never quite figured out how to fit it in. Greater Auramancy would 100% for sure have made the cut, however, if it only said "hexproof" instead of "shroud" - Shroud is terrible if you want to target your own guys with more than one Aura! Rhystic Study made the shortlist of card draw effects until I realized we probably just don't need it, with all of the Enchantresses running around.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Finally, there are a few Theros gods we could use, but after looking over the rest of the deck, Heliod is the only one that seems particularly useful or relevant. We don't have a high enough creature count or a strong enough need for ramp to make Karametra work. Kruphix does virtually nothing at all for us. And Ephara has a similar need to be running out creatures to get value, but we're hoping that this deck is most often going to be functional with only a few creatures on the table at once. We aren't looking to go wide in most cases (though a few cards like Ajani's Chosen and Sigil of the Empty Throne afford us that option for when going tall doesn't pan out). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But, while I can imagine a scenario where Heliod + Serra's Sanctum just goes fucking ape all over the table, I don't think Heliod would be all that great without that absurd source of white mana. Still, of all the cards I didn't manage to include in this first iteration, he's near the top of the list of things I'd like to find room for later on, just to see if I can pull that off. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Well, folks, I think that about wraps it up for this one. I could go one for another couple hundred words about this deck, but that'd probably be overkill at this point. I'm just glad a deck I'd been trying to make for years finally has not just one but three possible commanders to properly support it. Kudos to WotC for, just this once, getting it right!</span></div>
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Thaumaturgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07734372825472901455noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461869454202308168.post-41181460833875192422018-09-23T12:15:00.001-07:002018-09-23T12:15:08.640-07:00EDH League: Game 2 AftermathThe Bant-chantments deck swept game two. After a long and grueling battle, it looked like Lord Windgrace was going to take it home for a second time, but a timely Bruna after everyone had pretty much used up most of their removal turned things around.<br />
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I threw everything I had at the Bruna, as did the other two opponents, but since they'd spent most of the game fighting <i>me</i>, they didn't have much to throw. So, news flash: Bruna is ridiculous! If she lives, at least.<br />
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Point standings are pretty damn close, though, with the Bant player being in the lead, but Aminatou in last place is only 2 points behind her! There's a lot of room to make up ground as no one has run away with things as of yet. This is all very good, so far.<br />
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Anyway, another game is over, so that means more cuts. We're doing another round of 5 swaps this time, but it will be 3 at a time from here on out.<br />
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Here are my swaps, one by one:<br />
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Charnelhoard Wurm ---> Omnath, Locus of Rage - Okay this one should seem pretty obvious. We all new Omnath was 100% going to make an appearance, and if it weren't for my love of Gitrog and my recognition of a need to draw more cards, Omnath would've probably made the first batch. As for the cut, I felt like Charnelhoard Wurm was a dud, and didn't really serve any purpose in this deck. It's an okay card, but we aren't looking for a seven-mana, just-okay utility creature. We want a bomb, and Omnath is definitely that.<br />
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Jund Panorama ---> Crucible of Worlds - I'm still trying to figure out how the hell I did this, but after last week's swaps after round one, I somehow miscalculated, ending up with 43 lands instead of the intended 41! If you remember, my ultimate goal was to get to 42, but the plan was to do so incrementally. Anyway, after realizing the error (though not how it happened!) I obviously now get to cut 1 land to get back down to 42, our target. I still want to improve the quality of our lands by adding in some actually good one, but I will save that for next round. Crucible, like Omnath, is one of the most obvious cards to add, but it really is quite necessary. I've spent two games now badly wishing I had a Crucible, and having it will make Windgrace's +2 oh so much better.<br />
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Reality Scramble ---> Hour of Devastation - I kept going back and forth on Reality Scramble. I initially wanted to cut it, but then realized I'd overlooked that it had Retrace which makes it make more sense in the deck. But then, I also realized that the only thing I ever really have a surplus of is lands (and even then, lands are often much less expendable than you'd expect), but targeting a land with this only ever gets you another land. Yuck. Anyway, after two games I just realized I really wanted Hour of Devastation quite badly. Didn't want to cut a creature for a creature sweeper, as the deck already kinda needs more creatures, not less. So, looking for an expendable, non-creature, with a similar CMC so as not to fuck up the curve too much leads me to Reality Scramble, and out it goes.<br />
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Grapple with the Past ---> Splendid Reclamation - Again, more relatively obvious stuff. Splendid Reclamation is just a huge effect we clearly want to have access to. Yes, we are also adding Crucible, so it may seem redundant but a) it's an effect we want badly enough to allow some redundancy, and b) a big one-shot effect like this has different applications from a slow, incremental effect. Just like how sometimes Phyrexian Arena is better than Stroke of Genius, but other times, the Stroke is the better card. And, Grapple is a truly terrible card, honestly. Milling three is just to small of an effect. At least with Grisly Salvage you mill five, and even that isn't a card I'm over the moon about.<br />
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Zendikar Incarnate ---> Oracle of Mul Daya - Oh boy another obvious card to add. Where's the creativity? Where's the spice? All I can tell you is, I actually was no where near sure I'd even add Oracle, as I generally just hate revealing all my draws! But in the end I decided it was worth trying out. I mean she seems clearly to belong in the deck and 99% of you would probably add her to yours. But, again, that downside of revealing what should be hidden information to my opponents is very significant, IMO. There's a non-zero chance she actually gets replaced later on, if I turn out to be right about that. But for now, she is being given a chance.<br />
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Well, those are my five swaps for week two. I'm happy with how the deck is taking shape so far, but going back to the topic of creative/spicy card choices for a minute... well, I wish I could do more on that front but there are a few factors that make it difficult. First is the league system that restricts the total number of swaps we can make. I do have some ideas that I have yet to see represented on EDHREC, but achieving those ideas within the confines of these restrictions is difficult. Plus, it just so happens I really, really like a lot of the obvious auto-include cards. Gitrog and Omnath are cards I dearly loved even before this deck existed so of course I'm going to jump at the chance to play them together. Finally, what few flex slots I have to play with I am probably going to want to use on some niche metagame stuff - due to the nature of the league, I always play this deck against the same three other decks, which means I have the opportunity to tune my deck for a very narrow and specific metagame. I don't want to go too far with this and run things that just shut someone's whole deck down, but I have a few fair but powerful cards in mind...<br />
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I think that about covers it for this week. Enjoy!Thaumaturgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07734372825472901455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461869454202308168.post-79842863243312608722018-09-08T08:23:00.002-07:002018-09-08T08:23:54.469-07:00EDH League: Game 1 AftermathGame one of our EDH League has happened and this thing is now officially underway.<br />
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The first thing I will say is, we all agree there need to be some tweaks to the point system, but so far we have not come to a consensus on what exactly needs to change. One glaring oversight is that it is possible, with the list published previously, not to earn any points at all in a game. That's not cool.<br />
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Other things to consider are adding more achievements, so we will be more likely to get them - only one achievement other than killing players was earned in our first game - First Blood. I don't think the achievements are too hard as written. I came very close to getting Spellbook, and the Oberyn/Mountain situation almost happened TWICE. And of course with Planeswalkers as commanders the Real Ultimate Power point should be doable as well. Every one of us was basically one turn away from getting our ultimate at some point.<br />
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As an aside, I want to also talk about one of the more interesting ramifications of Planeswalkers-as-Commanders that I have noticed. Having 'Walkers in the command zone tends, in my experience so far, to slow the game down. Not because 'Walkers add a lot of complexity and decision-making - they kind of do but that doesn't add as much time as you'd think.<br />
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No, oddly enough, the main issue is that you spend a lot of the early games just trying to keep their loyalty in check. Those early creatures, the little 1/1 and 2/2 dorks you usually wind up just pinging whoever is open with? Yeah now those almost always wind up hitting a Planeswalker in the early-to-mid turns.That small, insignificant amount of damage actually adds up. When you have 4 players all running 'Walkers, it isn't uncommon to look around the table around turn 8 or so and see everyone still at 40 or very close to it. Because the game, up to that point, has very likely been all about attacking into and defending Planeswalkers.<br />
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Another factor is, if you are running a Walker as your commander, you are pretty well priced into running more defensive cards, or at least playing your creatures more defensively. Simply put, Planeswalkers have a LOT fewer life points than you do, and you'll often defend them more aggressively than you would your own life total. You'll be more likely to use removal on a creature attacking your 'Walker than you would if it were attacking you. You'll use sweepers more judiciously if the opposing armies threaten to overwhelm your other defenses. Your creatures will be more likely to hang back on blocking duty than they might otherwise be.<br />
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Yes, it seems very clear and indisputable to me that, at least in a casual setting such as this one, Planeswalker commanders lead to longer games. Whether you see that as a problem or not is up to you, of course. I'm just pointing out the effects, not making a value judgement. I will say, at least, that my back is not a fan of the longer games. I could barely walk after last night's game. But on the other hand, longer games lead to more opportunities for epic plays and achievement hunting.<br />
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Anyway, moving on, I will address whatever changes we make to our point structure later, once we hammer it all out together. For now, I'll let you all know that I took an early lead of 3 points, as I managed to kill everyone - and luckily did so while avoiding The Cersei penalty! We also kind of created a new acheivment on the spot, as my victory came on the heels of the Animatou player's very epic turn wherein they miracle'd a Terminus to wipe the board of creatures, then cast a Skullstorm with two copies! This reduced all our life totals to the single digits (save the Animatou player, though they were already pretty low regardless). I almost inadvertently killed two opponents with Retreat to Hagra and three Landfall triggers. This left only the Animatou player. For him, I had an Avenger of Zendikar and, if I recall, 16 plant tokens, each with three +1/+1 counters (courtesy of those landfalls I mentioned). He had an answer for the tokens, as it turned out, but the Avenger itself plus the Moldgraf Monstrosity I also dropped that turn, plus the Retreat to Hagra triggers was still enough to get the job done, and that was that.<br />
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So I got three points for killing everyone, but we all kind of felt like that Skullstorm play by the Animatou player was a huge factor in my being able to do that. So we awarded that player an assist point, and will be adding some sort of formalized achievement for that later.<br />
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But, now that the first game is over, that means we get to start making some edits to the decks! This is my favorite part, as you know. I've been thinking about this part a LOT. In fact I have made spreadsheets on Google Drive to try and map out my (theoretical) changes. "Nerd!"<br />
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Despite getting slightly flooded with lands last night I still think bumping the lands to 42 is worth doing, but I'm only going to 41 on the first round of swaps. I'm cutting 3 non-lands and 2 lands, to add in 3 lands and 2 non-lands. My intial plan was to just use the first batch of swaps to add in all 5 lands, but A) that's kinda boring and I can't wait to get some FUN cards in there, and B) I'm actually a bit worried about card-draw and flood-mitigation. Lord Windgrace is pretty damn close to being my only way to turn excess lands into other cards, and that could be a problem. So as I am increasing the land count, I also need to prioritize ways to draw and/or filter cards.<br />
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Before I get further into what I'm changing I want to talk about how I am reasoning through all my changes. To start with, I view the Nature's Vengeance deck as a midrange value deck. And to me, a midrange value deck has three fundamental parts to it - set up, engine, and pay off. In this particular case the "engine" is just lands. Lands in play, lands in hand, lands in the graveyard, and importantly, lands moving from one zone to the other. The set up is, mostly ramp. However, cards like Grisly Salvage are also set up. Any card that gets lands from our library into any other zone - hand, graveyard, battlefield - is set up. Payoff is all about turning that engine into a value generator and, later, a victory generator. In short payoff cards are those that reward us for doing whatever our engine wants us to do. Anything with Landfall or a similar effect would count, whether it just draws us cards or makes large beasts. <br />
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There are of course cards in the deck that don't fit into one of those three categories. In my view, any such cards that fall outside the setup/engine/payoff trifecta should be of the "utility" class. I.E. removal/ramp/draw, traditionally. However in this case ramp is part of our "setup" roster. And some draw effects may be part of the engine - Lord Windgrace for example. This means for our purposes here, utility probably just means draw and removal. So, anything that isn't utility but also doesn't fit somewhere in the land-driven engine almost certainly gets replaced.<br />
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But where do we focus our immediate attention? Well, you gotta eat your veggies, so we need to get the boring ol' lands in as soon as we can, of course. But my early impressions of the deck so far tell me that the deck is mostly okay at set up, HIGHLY reliant on Windgrace for the engine, and mediocre to okay at payoff. Let's break them down one by one.<br />
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Setup - deck has plenty of ramp. Not all of it is top-tier ramp, but whatever. We can manage. Also has ways to get lands into the 'yard via Windgrace and stuff like Grisly Salvage. One area it's weaker in is land-recursion - getting them out of the graveyard and into our hand or onto the battlefield. This is something we will need to address for sure but isn't urgent.<br />
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Engine - as I said, you've got Windgrace's +2 and not a whole lot else, really. He's great and all, but you can't rely on your commander alone. He will get removed, and the better the deck gets at doing it's other things, the more likely people will be to kill him. This makes adding some more engine cards the highest priority, in my estimation. <br />
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Payoff - This deck has a few stellar payoff cards - Avenger of Zendikar, Rampaging Baloths, Lavalanche. And it has some mediocre ones - Flameblast Dragon, Centaur Vinecrasher, Scute Mob. Probably some outright bad ones as well. However, for now, I am less worried about quality than quantity. I think Scute Mob and Flameblast Dragon are resonable cards if you have sufficient threat density overall.<br />
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So, my approach will be to start by cutting anything that isn't in either utility or one of the three categories outlined above - the "do nothings" as I like to call them. To replace them I will be adding cards from these categories, with the "engine" cards being my first priority. Until I'm able to really up the threat density and power level of the deck, I need to be able to reliably DIG through my library for what I need. I need to be able to find lands reliably but have ways to convert excess lands drawn into other resources.<br />
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However, there is another factor at play that may influence how we build this deck - the achievements/penalties system! The thing we have to consider here is: do we want to just build this deck to focus primarily on winning and just take potshots at achievements as opportunity presents, or do we want to try to build around some of the achievements to make racking up points easier? We also have to consider penalties and avoid building our deck in such a way that we'll lose points just for doing what it wants to do.<br />
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The first and most prominent example to highlight what I mean is this - you'll notice there is an achievment for getting all three of the deck's possible commanders into play at once. But in my deck, my two alternate commanders are, as far as I'm concerned, in that "do-nothing" category and I really want to cut them. But I have to consider that, if I do cut them, I'll be cutting myself off from ever earning this point. The question is just one of how I expect to earn points and what I think will net me the most points at the end of it all.<br />
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Luckily those are questions I don't absolutely have to answer right now. Instead I have spent my energy categorizing all the non-land cards by function. Every card has been defined as setup, payoff, utlity, or do-nothing (engine cards are basically just our lands, because the real engine of the deck isn't actually a card or class of cards, but the action of moving lands around). Again the do-nothings are just those cards that are not utility - draw or removal, basically.<br />
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Surprisingly, to me at least, the do-nothing category only yielded 12 cards. This deck has a lot of ramp and removal, it turns out; though some of it is quite bad. And, there are some cards here that I quite like and would prefer to keep around. Xantcha, for instance, is not on-theme nor is she utility (in the strictest sense), so technically she belongs here. But I find that she can be quite good at pressuring early planeswalkers. In last night's game she has been instrumental in keeping 'walkers off their ults.<br />
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One class of cards I can't wait to dump, on the other hand, are the lieutenants. I like the lieutenant ability and I like these cards in the right decks. The green one seems fine in a +1/+1 counter focused deck like Atraxa, while the red one is fine in the Saheeli precon. I might run the black one in a Zombie deck but not even sure he'd make the cut there. But in this deck, none of them are on theme, none of them play into the deck's strengths. The green one I can almost see, as it seems good with Wurm Harvest but there just aren't enough token producers overall, really. This isn't really a go-wide deck. It CAN do so, but it's not a mainstay of the deck, and when it does finally go wide, the counters seem to feel both too slow and unnecessary.<br />
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So they have to go, for sure. As mentioned earlier, Thantis and Gyrus don't fit the deck well either, but I'm thus far unsure if I want to cut them or keep them solely for that one achievement. Fury Storm is just hella cool and I want to keep it. It can do some awesome things - I've already double-copied Animatou's Augury in a previous game. That was neat.<br />
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Emissary of Grudges and Reality Scramble are both new cards, and I hate cutting new cards. They're both cool cards as well. But they do not really fit the deck theme at all, so I feel they have to go.<br />
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Finally we have the very odd suite of recursion cards that, frankly, don't make much sense either. I love recursion and I think we probably want some in this deck, perhaps even more than what is in already. But not these specific recursion cards: Stitch Together, Soul of Innistrad, Charnelhoard Wurm and Moldgraf Monstrosity. Now, some of these cards are good. Some might even be okay in this deck. But none really scream "Lands Matter" do they? Nah. One or two might end up not being cut, but they're all at least on the chopping block for now.<br />
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What we really need, though, is something like Crucible of Worlds or Splendid Reclamation. It's absurd to me that there aren't some effects like this in the deck already, even if they were bad versions! WTF, Wizards? Get your shit together.<br />
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Ahem. So, we've identified the most egregiously off-theme cards and I've also kind of taken note of some of the on-theme cards in other categories that I think are just weak-ass versions of what they do. All of the other categories have a smattering of cards that do what they need to do, but perhaps not as efficiently or as powerfully as they need to do them. It is clear that we will have room after all to make some improvements to those ares, but initially I am more concerned with getting as many of those off-theme do-nothings out of here as fast as possible. That will make the deck more focused and consistent, which should help compensate for the power level of the weaker cards.<br />
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And, as mentioned, we need more engine cards badly - card draw is especially valuable to me at this point.<br />
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So, after taking into account that considerable wall of text I just wrote plus some other things I just didn't have room to squeeze in, I have come up with my first five swaps.<br />
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IN:<br />
Bloodstained Mire<br />
Wooded Foothills<br />
Verdant Catacombs<br />
The Gitrog Monster<br />
Tireless Tracker<br />
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OUT:<br />
Haunted Fengraf<br />
Warped Landscape<br />
Loyal Apprentice<br />
Loyal Guardian<br />
Loyal Subordinate<br />
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The cuts are probably easy to parse. I already expressed my strong dislike of the Loyal cycle in this deck, as they are all way off theme. The lands surprised me a bit, as I expected to be cutting ETBF-tapped lands here, but I just really hate these two lands and I don't think they're good. Right now, games don't seem to be fast paced enough to really worry about a few lands entering tapped, so I just went with the two crappiest colorless lands in the deck.<br />
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With these changes, our land count is now up to 41, and I said we needed engine cards to smooth draws. Gitrog and Tireless Tracker both fit this role. Tracker is also kind of a payoff card as he can get huge off playing lands, but we're more interested in those clue tokens. Clues are card draw and that's what we want but I have some ideas that might make them pay off in other ways too, but we'll see if those plans come to fruition or not.<br />
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Gitrog is obvious as well. He's primarily an engine as he converts lands into card draw, has sick synergy with our commander, and he's just an undercosted beatstick that can help us keep enemy 'Walkers in check.<br />
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For the next two round of cuts, my expectation is that I will swap out one more land and a non-land for the two cycling duals from Amonkhet and add in one hell of a haymaker payoff card. Having not only won my first game of the league but gotten all three kill points, I think my plan is to focus on earning points through winning/killing people, and making other achievements a secondary consideration.<br />
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I just typed a LOT of fucking words to tell you what 5 cards I was swapping out. Jeez. But now that I've laid the groundwork by explaining all our rules, as well as my thought process on how I'm approaching this, I think further articles will be shorter. I hope.Thaumaturgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07734372825472901455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461869454202308168.post-48541446625696391762018-09-08T06:03:00.000-07:002018-09-08T06:03:36.745-07:00EDH League Deck: Nature's VengeanceHey there, folks. My last post announced and explained the EDH league system my playgroup is running as an experiment. I went over the structure and points, etc. Today I will talk a bit about the way we're handling upgrades and changes to our decks and I'll talk specifically about the deck I'm going to be playing in this league.<br />
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We are going to be playing our first league game with completely unmodified lists, straight outta the box. But after each game we will have a specific number of changes we can make. Since we opted for an eight game run for our first outing, that means we have seven chances to tweak the lists - no point after game eight as the league will be over at that point, and everyone will be free to go hog wild on changing or scraping their respective decks.<br />
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We want a good balance of changing enough to matter but not changing too much too fast. At first I was shooting for about 20 cards total to be changed, but then I realized that some of these decks really need a bit of attention in the land department and it would be hard to make appreciable changes to the mana base AND the functional parts of the deck and make everything work.<br />
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25 changes feels a little more reasonable. That's still only 25% of the deck overall and you can easily change around 5 lands to make the mana run a little smoother, while still having a good chunk of cards to put into the main deck.<br />
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So for after the first game, with the stock lists is over, we'll all be able to change 5 cards. After each subsequent game, we will change 3 cards at a time, except after the 5th game, where we will get one more 5 card swap. By the time we go into the 8th and final game, 25 cards will have been swapped.<br />
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Now let's talk about the fun stuff. I was lucky enough to get one of the two decks I most wanted - Nature's Vengeance, the Jund "Lands Matter" deck headed by Lord Windgrace. I'd have been cool playing any of the 4 decks but this is the one I wanted most so I am happy it worked out that I could claim it!<br />
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Of course part of the idea of this is to fine tune the deck as I go. It's always best to use real playtest date to optimize rather than theorycraft. However, it is also very possible to overcompensate or overreact to a single game experience. Maybe the deck has a good amount of removal but one game I just don't draw enough and so I burn 3 card swaps jamming answers when I really didn't need too, in the grand scheme of things. For this reason I want to have something of a road map to help me make these incremental cuts without getting lost in the weeds and mucking things up.<br />
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As it happens I have already played a handful of games with these precons with my playgroup. I've played a few with this very deck and I've played against it a few times as well. So I already have some actual gameplay data to back up my theoretical cuts and additions. Furthermore, I've played a number of land-oriented decks in the past including Karametra, Gitrog and Omnath. So I feel confident I can map out at the very least a GUIDE to help me make swaps, but I will of course leave things open to improvisation and inspiration based on the games I play throughout the league.<br />
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Starting off I know I have a grand total of 25 card slots to play around with. I also know that I want to goose the land count just slightly. In my previous games one thing I did take note of was that I really like using Windgrace's +1 but only if I have a spare land to discard. But while playing, I often found I was only holding a single land and, if I wanted that sweet, sweet card advantage I had to choose between pitching it to Windgrace to draw 2, or making my land drop for the turn. Of course if my land count is sufficiently high enough I would A) have to make that choice less, and B) when I DO have to make that choice I can be more confident that pitching my only land to draw two has a high chance of yielding another land so I can still make my land drop.<br />
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At the same time I don't want to go too high as I'm not likely to have room for a whole ton of pure draw and card selection with only 25 slots to work with. The precon starts at 40 lands so I think I probably just want to nudge it up to 42 lands. I think I had 43 or 44 in my Gitrog deck but that was also a more tuned deck overall. 42 probably gives us a good, steady stream to both pitch to our commander AND make consistent land drops, but won't flood us out too often. And of course we want to just improve the man quality as well, so we will need to dedicate a few swaps to switching out some of the worse lands with better ones.<br />
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Even in a Lands Matter deck, the mana base is still not the most exciting thing to spend swaps on so I'm probably looking at 5 land swaps. 2 of those will be non-land spells getting swapped for lands to give us our desired increase in land count. Then we can remove 3 of the weaker lands for 3 better ones. This leaves 20 more non-land cards to swap in.<br />
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The list of cards I want to add in is almost certainly going to be longer than the list of cards I want to take out (or CAN take out, as per the guidelines of this league experiment). For this reason, I think it best to start by identifying cards we'd consider removing. THEN we can worry about what to replace them with. That way we can kind of try to swap like for like where possible or at least keep our swaps on curve.<br />
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Now, ideally, I'd prefer to avoid cutting cards that are either new or on-theme. So we'll keep that in mind as a guideline but not a strict rule. Especially since I can already tell you, in this deck, a lot of the new cards are decidedly not on-theme, unfortunately. There are also some thematic cards that fit, but are weaker that other options. For example I'd dearly love to ditch Farhaven Elf in favor of Wood Elves, or upgrade the so-so Far Wanderings for the always-reliable Kodama's Reach. If I had carte blanche to change all I wanted, I would definitely make those swaps.<br />
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But I have to spend my swaps wisely and so, I'm not so sure the power level difference between Wood Elves and Farhaven Elf is big enough to warrant spending one of my 25 precious slots! Still, if we earmark a card to be cut and then it winds up performing well... well then I may have some room to make a few small utility upgrades after all.<br />
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With that in mind, here is the list of cards that I think have a high potential for being replaced:<br />
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Centaur Vinecrasher<br />
Loyal Guardian<br />
Baloth Woodcrasher<br />
Loyal Subordinate<br />
Bloodtracker<br />
Soul of Innistrad<br />
Loyal Apprentice<br />
Emissary of Grudges<br />
Flameblast Dragon<br />
Xantcha, Sleeper Agent<br />
Gyros, Waker of Corpses<br />
Zendikar Incarnate<br />
Thantis, the Warweaver<br />
Charnelhoard Wurm<br />
Grapple with the Past<br />
Far Wanderings<br />
Consign to Dust<br />
Hunting Wilds<br />
Stitch Together<br />
Ruinous Path<br />
Reality Scramble<br />
Fury Storm<br />
Grisly Salvage<br />
Decimate<br />
Deathreap Ritual<br />
Savage Twister<br />
Gaze of Granite<br />
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The astute reader will note that this list is 27 cards long and indeed contains a fair few cards that are either thematic or newly printed. This is simply a list of cards I can see an argument for cutting. Some I simply think there are more powerful options for the same effect, while others are just effects we probably don't want at all.<br />
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If I stick to the 42 land plan I outlined above, that means five of the above cards will definitely not be cut. And if one of the cards I did NOT name in the list above turns out to be a lemon, then even more cards could get pardoned. Again, I plan to leave room for improvisation based on gameplay. For instance Gaze of Granite has already almost single-handly won me one game. If it keeps performing well, obviously I will elect to keep it in the deck.<br />
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As I mentioned before, the list of cards I want to ADD is even longer than the list of cuts above. But I'm not going to spoil them just yet. Many of my choices will likely be predictable and you can probably guess a high % of the cards I'm considering - but even I don't know which ones will actually wind up making it in.<br />
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I can tell you that I have at least identified the 5 lands that I will be adding in:<br />
Bloodstained Mire<br />
Wooded Foothills<br />
Verdant Catacombs<br />
Canyon Slough<br />
Sheltered Thicket<br />
<br />
Originally I wanted the three fetches and the three shocklands but I couldn't quite make 6 land-swaps work. Then I remembered the fetchable duals with cycling that were printed in Amonket. Convenient that there are only two of those in our colors - I could not bring myself to run only two shocks when three options exist. I'm too much of a completionist and perfectionist to tolerate that. But if I have no choice, say, because the third land in the cycle doesn't exist yet? Well I guess I can live with it then.<br />
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It's nothing too groundbreaking. Fetchlands and Cycling Lands are already in the deck - these are just better ones of those. And you can be sure that I will be adding more cards that will add to these land-oriented synergies. But more on that to come later. For now, that's all I've got.<br />
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Enjoy. Thaumaturgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07734372825472901455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461869454202308168.post-40468101155602127502018-09-06T14:31:00.000-07:002018-09-06T14:33:09.728-07:00EDH Precon League Experiment 2018!Within my playgroup, our overall excitement and interest in Magic has waned somewhat over the last couple of years. This applies in varying degrees to everyone, myself included. I like to think I'm probably still one of the more faithful Magic devotees among our circle but the long gaps in content on this here blog may seem to tell a different story.<br />
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At any rate, I cannot deny that for me Magic has taken a backseat to other interests as of late. But now I feel like that is all on the verge of turning around. Magic itself is again becoming compelling and fun after a run of less than stellar sets and products. And I'm simply coming to miss the game after those "other interests" have started to lose their hold on me. </div>
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Dominaria and Battlebond were simply stellar sets for the Commander player, and while this year's actually Commander release has gotten a lot of flack from fans (some deserved, some not so much), anyone who's actually given the decks a fair chance ought to know that they decks are still quite fun despite their shortcomings, perceived or otherwise.</div>
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The normal process with the Commander precon decks is, we generally play them as-is for about one weekend at best, maybe even one night, before we eagerly start making modifications and additions - or scrapping them for parts as is sometimes the case. This time, however, we thought we'd try something a little different. </div>
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Myself and another person have been spit-balling ideas back and forth on how to rejuvenate our group's waning enthusiasm and engagement in Magic for about a year, as this conversation first started with the 2017 Commander set. But we didn't really get on the ball enough with it to actually put anything in motion while the C17 decks were still fresh and exciting. So the idea kinda languished in limbo. </div>
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But, another year, another commander release, and now this time we've laid the groundwork to actually run this little experiment. What exactly is this idea you ask? Well it's basically just a fairly standard Commander league with a point system and all that good stuff, but we also have a structure for improving the precons along the way to keep things more or less even between everyone.</div>
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One of the issues, a minor one but still present, has always been a disparity in card access. To put it more plainly, we all have very different card pools, and different budgetary restriction on expanding said card pools. Even more plainly: some of us got better shit than others. We are all close friends and have a strong social contract - no one wants to piss anyone off so much that we stop playing together, so it's mutual self-interest to keep things relatively even and fun.</div>
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But at the same time, we all still do shit anyway despite knowing full well it's gonna piss off someone else at the table. </div>
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Another disparity is that some of us are a little more... shall we say, results-oriented. Well, I think more accurately, I'd say we're all equally results-oriented, but are focused on different results. None among us is a hardcore "Spike" but certainly some of us are more motivated to win games than others. Meanwhile some of us are more interested in just pulling off cool plays. We all WANT to win, but in some cases we are okay with losing so long as we get to do whatever it is we built our deck to do, before we go down. </div>
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Nothing wrong with any of that, inherently. It does, however, cause some friction now and then. </div>
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Enter the League point system. The idea behind it is, you get points for winning games, but you also get points for doing cool shit. You get penalties for doing things that make everyone feel bad and not have fun. So at the end of the designated league period, you can win it all either by taking down the most opponents or by just doing the most cool shit and having fun. Realistically, your best chances are probably to focus on winning games while going out of your way to do cool shit on the way. But I digress... the gist is, for those who want to win, they get rewarded, but for those more interested in just creating epic moments also get rewarded.</div>
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But, in addition to the standard point/achievment system, we're also regulating the process to upgrade these decks as we go along. This part is pretty simple. The first league game will be played with completely unmodified precon decks. Then, after each game we will get to make a set number of changes to our decks. By the end of the league's run, going into our final game, we will have made a total of 25 changes to each deck. This should allow for a high degree of personalization but still keep the core identities of the decks from changing too much. </div>
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25 changes should also allow room for some improvements to the mana bases in these decks. The mana situation is almost always one of the biggest flaws in the stock precon lists, so affording the group the chance to smooth over the mana issues somewhat will only lead to more fun games and less mana screw/flood. </div>
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25 is also, we hope, a number sufficiently high to allow the option of running an "Alternate" commander - as most of you should know each deck has a "face" commander that is intended to be the main one used, but also two alternatives that can be utilized instead. In some cases the alternate commanders are pretty on-theme, and in some cases they are very different. The hope here is that 25 swaps is enough to make running one of the less thematic commanders viable without hamstringing that deck. </div>
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Finally, the target number of games for this league is 8. If we do further leagues after this, we will likely increase that count, but it also depends on how frequently we are actually able to play games. We don't want a league to take 6 months to complete, but if it does the intended job of getting people re-invested and increasing our desire to play games, then we can look at bumping that number up to 10 or 12 or whatever feels right.</div>
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Again this is all a first for us, and an experiment. If the idea proves fruitful but the numbers are off, we can adjust. If it doesn't work at all, then, well, at least we'll all be really familiar with one of the four C18 decks at the end.</div>
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Here is the point system we are launching with. As with everything else, this is subject to change based on actual experience - if it ain't working as intended we'll fix it afterward, or even on the fly if it is a serious issue.<br />
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<b><u><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Achievements </span></u></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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• Coupe de Grace – Eliminate an opponent<o:p></o:p></div>
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• First Blood – First player to deal combat damage to an
opponent<o:p></o:p></div>
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• REAL ULTIMATE POWER!!! – Ultimate a planeswalker (without
Doubling Season)<o:p></o:p></div>
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• The crew – Have your commander and both alternate
commanders in play at once<o:p></o:p></div>
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• Spellbook – Draw 10+ cards in a turn (Wheels don’t count)<o:p></o:p></div>
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• Game of Thrones – Become the Monarch or gain the City’s
Blessing<o:p></o:p></div>
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• The Varys – Save an opponent from death<o:p></o:p></div>
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• The Mountain – Kill an opponent after they attack you down
to below 5 life or have dealt 19 to 20 general damage to you<o:p></o:p></div>
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• The Archmage – Destroy one of each in one turn: Land,
Creature, Enchantment, Artifact, and Planeswalker (auras falling off a creature
you kill don’t count)<o:p></o:p></div>
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• Dethrone who? – Reach a life total of 100 or more<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Penalties</span></u></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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• The Littlefinger – Control another player’s turn
(Mindslaver, etc.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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• Roll for Sanity Loss – Attack with a creature with the
Annihilator ability.<o:p></o:p></div>
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• Nuclear Flyswatter – Use a sweeper to kill one creature<o:p></o:p></div>
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• The Ned Stark – Kill an opponent on or before Turn 5 <o:p></o:p></div>
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• Hogging the Spotlight – Take a 10+ minute turn <o:p></o:p></div>
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• Glitch in the Matrix – Play any one card 5+ times in a
game<o:p></o:p></div>
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• Go to Hellbent – Wipe out one or more opponent's hand (i.e. Mind Twist, or Wheel + Notion Thief)<o:p></o:p></div>
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• Playing With Myself – Go infinite, or take 3 or more
consecutive turns<o:p></o:p></div>
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• The Cersei – Kill multiple players in one turn via X-spell
or cheese/combo (just attacking with dudes when everyone is at low life
shouldn’t count)<o:p></o:p></div>
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• Bastard Sphinx – Hit someone with Magister Sphinx or similar
effect (Sorin, Master of Cruelties, etc), unless they deserve it (i.e. they are
over 120 life or something)<o:p></o:p></div>
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• The Oberyn – Be killed by an opponent after dealing 19 or
20 general damage to them, or attacking them down to below 5 life</div>
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Some of these items have little caveats or qualifiers attached, but these are probably unnecessary, really. Every achievement or penalty
is subject to a “Spirit of the Law” ruling. The wording of these is much less
important than the intent behind them and the intent should be pretty clear. In
general if something makes the table groan it should be a penalty and if it
makes everyone laugh or cheer, then it should be worth a point. If something
technically counts as an achievement or penalty going by the letter, but seems
contrary to the spirit/intent behind the rule and the table agrees, then the
point/penalty can be waived. If necessary a vote can be called and a 3-1 vote
either way decides the issue.</div>
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Personally I don't think the need for an actual vote like that will come up - again we're all friends and we're all just trying to have some fun. But shit happens, so best to be prepared for any problems. </div>
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Some of those names could use some work, too. Open to feedback on that, btw.</div>
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Next post, I will reveal which deck I am playing in this league and start talking about my approach to the upgrade structure. Tweaking/tuning/optimizing these decks is one of my favorite aspects of the Commander precons, so I'm excited to get into that phase!</div>
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Enjoy. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Thaumaturgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07734372825472901455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461869454202308168.post-85474738145539268572018-09-05T07:52:00.000-07:002018-09-05T07:52:43.912-07:00New look!Been a long ass time since the ol' Command Zone had any kind of makeover. Figured it was time.<br />
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Feedback is welcome - let me know if the colors are wack or the text is too hard to read, etc. Don't want to induce migraines or cause eye strain!<br />
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Got some real, actual content a-brewin' too. Hopefully you'll see a real post soon.<br />
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*fingers crossed*Thaumaturgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07734372825472901455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461869454202308168.post-31671561304276760872018-05-25T22:37:00.001-07:002018-05-25T22:45:54.934-07:00Battlebond EDH Set ReviewWow, folks. It’s been a hot minute since I’ve posted anything at all here, hasn’t it? So much so, I expect it will be another hot minute before anyone realizes I’ve even resumed posting. Lack of both time and interest are the culprits. I’ve been playing Magic pretty regularly though not nearly as often as usual, but the real problem was that I just wasn’t building much. It’s hard to write for a very deckbuilding-oriented blog when you lose interest in building. Turns out, having roughly 30 decks all built at once kind of taps you out, both mentally and in actual card availability. But I recently dismantled every last deck I had together, re-sorted my collection, updated my trade binder and overall just wiped the slate totally clean so I can resume building and experimenting again.<br />
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Dominaria was a huge boon to EDH players, and while this is not a Dominaria review I just have to say that that set did a lot to pique my interest in Magic again. Luckily I had a brief moment of financial freedom and was able to purchase a significant amount of the set – something I have not been able to do in years, which also has contributed to my declined interests, I must admit. I like the shiny new toys – can’t help it. Anyway, as cool as Dominaria was and still is… Battlebond is the even newer, even shinier thing these days, and just to spoil things right away the set looks abso-friggin-lutely amazing.<br />
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Now, the set is designed primarily around the format Two-Headed Giant, which is a way of playing Magic that I couldn’t give less of a shit about. I mean, if the other three people in my regular playgroup wind up itching to try it I’m totally down, but it is not something I care strongly about either way. I’m much more of free-for-all, one-man-standing kind of player. But I’ll try anything once, so long as it doesn’t involve a rotating, standard-only card pool (looking at you, Brawl). As much as I am easily distracted by new things, my love of EDH is almost entirely due to the ability to play Magic’s Greatest Hits. Even though Magic designs SEEMS to be on a bit of a renaissance as of late, I still think there was a golden period of Magic design that we’ll probably never see the likes of which again.<br />
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Anywho, I will now cut this preamble short and move on to the actual set review. This one is going to be, as you might expect, different from my old card-by-card reviews. Those are tiresome to make and probably tiresome to read, honestly. I will definitely be calling out individual cards here and there, but this will be a more holistic review, focusing on broader themes like mechanics and reprints and commanders, etc.<br />
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<u><b>Mechanics - Partner with...</b></u><br />
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As mentioned above, Battlebond is geared toward 2HG play so it has some wonky team-based mechanics that, sadly, may not translate to FFA games all that well. But first off, we have one that suits Commander just fine – “Partner with”. This is a twist on the Partner mechanic introduced in whichever Commander set had the four-color theme. 2016? Man I have lost track of things. Anyway, these new partner cards can only partner up with a specific other card, spelled out by the card text. And in some cases they aren’t even Legends! Weird, but okay. For EDH purposes, we probably care most about the ones that are Legends. “Partner with…” is a pretty cool mechanic but I’m on the fence about it being a net positive for EDH. The cool thing about 2016’s partners was playing mix and match to create all kinds of cool color combinations and finding ways to make two disparate and different commanders synergize together. Partner with on the other hand removes the exploration and experimentation aspect, making the choice for you right at the outset. In exchange for giving up that flexibility these new partners seem to have been slightly bumped up in power level, or at least synergy.<br />
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Ultimately, what this means is, using these new partners in Commander means you effectively start each game with not just one but TWO extra cards in your hand, effectively, and this time they are two cards that are explicitly designed to be used together and thus have inherent synergy together. Back when the original partners were revealed there was a lot of concern about the power level of the partner ability due to this extra card advantage. However the individual partners wound up largely being kinda “meh” on their own, meaning they really roughly equaled one normal commander in value only when paired up. Of course a couple of them wound up being, if not inherently broken, then certainly breakable.<br />
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Looking at Battlebond’s Legendary partners, I still don’t see any single one that I think would ever be used as a solo commander. They all feel just slightly sub-par – not terrible on their own but still not quite good enough to use without their partner. This is good news – can you imagine if, say, Rafiq were just already as good as he is but he ALSO let you start with a second card in your command zone? Ugh. If we ever start getting partner commanders that are good enough ON THEIR OWN that having a partner is literally just a value-add for free, that will be a huge problem for the format. But luckily we aren’t there now. I think probably Pir and Toothy are the closest we’re getting this time around. This pairing seems to have some pretty absurd synergy and they curve perfectly. But their base stats and the way their abilities are divided up mean neither of them are quite compelling enough to use sans the other. But when paired up they are, at least on paper, pretty ridiculous. What saves them more than anything is that they aren’t really playing in new space for U/G. I think they may well be the best option to date for a Simic +1/+1 counter deck, that is a well-explored archetype already. These new partners are just giving it a bump but not enough of one to break anything. On the other hand, U/G is already one of, if not THE, best color pairs for value and card advantage, so that PLUS the fact that Toothy has built-in, raw card draw may lend some real credibility to that previously mentioned fear of having TWO extra cards available at all times.<br />
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The other Partner pairs all seem powerful in their own rights, but are built around sort of janky-er themes. Will and Rowan Kenrith, for instance, will look cool as hell having two Planeswalkers in your command zone, but they both cost six mana and are in a color pair not known for being super great at ramp. Add to that the fact that Planeswalkers are going to be much harder to defend in FFA games than they would in the 2HG format they were designed for, and suddenly they don’t seem to be all that impressive. Then there is a pair, also in Izzet colors, that are designed around the gimmick of coinflippin, which seems like the most annoying deck – in casual at least – ever. Like, if you play this deck, expect to be the active player roughly 75% of the total time your group is playing, as you endlessly fiddle about with coinflips and dice rolls.<br />
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Ultimately, Partner with is cool, though perhaps not as cool as the more open-ended version of Partner, and I feel the cards presented here are very unlikely to become oppressively powerful, though I would keep an eye on Pir/Toothy as the most likely breakouts.<br />
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<u><b>Mechanics - Assist; "Friend or Foe"</b></u><br />
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Moving on, we have Assist and Friend or Foe. Covering these two together because they are the two mechanics that are least likely to translate to FFA formats. Assist allows for another player – any player – to help you cast your spell by paying some or all of the colorless portion of the mana cast. So if a spell cost 6W then any player can pitch in on the 6 colorless. You’re always on the hook for the colored mana portion of the cost. The problem is, all the Assist cards are just overpriced variants on existing cards, with the idea that you’ll always have a teammate to help pay the extra cost. But in FFA EDH games, you’re going to have to be seriously adept at politicking to get help casting Assist spells. The real kicker is, if someone is especially willing to help you cast something, that is almost always a sure sign that what you’re trying to do is going to benefit them even more than you realize or hope for.<br />
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I think, probably, the Assist spell most likely to succeed in any degree in EDH is Play of the Game, which exiles all non-land permanents for a hefty eight mana. But a frequent scenario in multiplayer Magic is when one player gets ahead and develops a scary enough board that the rest of the table kind of bands together to knock them down a peg or two. “Does anyone have a Wrath?”, said in a slightly panicked tone, should be a very familiar refrain to any EDH veteran. Well, now you can respond with “yes, but I’m going to need you all to help me pay for it”. The fact that is exiles rather destroys may however work against you in that EDH players are, usually, a bit more willing to let their stuff go to their graveyards than they are to see them sent to exile. Ironically being a “destroy” effect would make this card weaker overall, but probably a lot easier to get assistance with the, um, Assist ability.<br />
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Meanwhile the “Friend or Foe” cards even less likely to work well in FFA games. There is a corner case for using them in Group Hug decks, of course. One of the biggest complaints I and many, many other EDH players have with the Group Hug archetype is the overwhelming prevalence of such decks to inadvertently hand one player the game, aka kingmaking. The cool thing about Friend or Foe is, you can use them to reward all of the other players, but leave out the one who is furthest ahead, thereby slightly mitigating your tendencies toward kingmaking. However I don’t think the Friend or Foe cards reach neither the quantity nor quality for them to have this much of a noticeable impact on the archetype. But I really don’t see them getting any use outside of group hug, though they might get VERY sparing use in heavily political decks that aren’t quite at the same level of group hug. In short they are even worse versions of the Offering cycle from an earlier Commander set<br />
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Support also makes a comeback in this set, but it is not new and is not a great mechanic in EDH. Too low-impact. Obviously if you’re building along a heavy +1/+1 counter theme there may be one or two Support cards you might consider but most are unlikely to make the cut. I will say, however, that Generous Patron looks downright sick in a Hapatra deck! Whew.<br />
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<u><b>Reprints galore!</b></u><br />
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Somehow Wizards has managed to jam pack this set with some absolutely amazing reprints, making this set feel more like a Masters set than most Masters sets. Green in particular seems to have been showered with gifts. Doubling Season at mythic feels just a little bit cash-grabby but honestly it literally IS a mythical card at this point. If Sol Ring is the flagship, iconic card of EDH, then Doubling Season is probably the equivalent icon for all kitchen table casual Magic. It is quite possibly the most beloved casual card in the game. I think people will be happy enough that it was reprinted at all to not mind it’s mythic rarity too much. But let’s not stop there – Green mages also get new lines of access to Greater Good, Seedborn Muse, Vigor and Skyshroud Claim. All of these are staples of the format or at least should be after this set. Sure there are some dudes – no one was clamoring for a Magus of the Candelabra reprint – but almost all of the green reprints are solid picks.<br />
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Other colors don’t fare to badly either. White gets Land Tax and Kor Spiritdancer, both absolutely excellent choices given their scarcity/price points. One of the biggest missteps of the set, though, is the decision to reprint Swords to Plowshares for the roughly 23rd time, whilst Path to Exile continues to creep up in price. This is extremely frustrating to me, as it highlights WotC’s tendency to reprint one card into absolute oblivion while letting a very similar but equally widely played card languish without a significant printing for years. BALANCE THIS SHIT OUT WOTC! Anwyay, StP ain’t a terrible reprint it’s just an unnecessary one, which is made to feel terrible when the slot could have easily gone to a reprint that IS highly needed. But we can forgive them this one sin in light of the amazing work they did elsewhere in this set!<br />
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Blue gets another marquee reprint in True Name Nemesis. And I doubt anyone is going to complain about pulling one from a pack, this card isn’t actually all that good in commander. Yeah I’d run it in Rafiq or a U/G merfolk deck just ‘cause but really it just isn’t nearly the staple in our format as it is in Legacy. But hey, we can probably trade them for lots of good EDH cards anyway. The real appeal of it seeing print here is that it will now have a foil printing! These foils are going to be ASTRONOMICALLY expensive I am certain – see foil version of Queen Marchesa, Dack Fayden and Leovold for example. Yikes!<br />
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Sower of Temptation and Tidespout Tyrant are fine choices. Nowhere near as great as Seedborn and Greater Good… but fine. Tidespout even comes with a serious art upgrade.<br />
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Black gets Nirkana Revenant and Diabolic Intent as it’s best reprints. Again, these are good, solid picks. Nyxithid is less exciting but even that card somehow had crept up in price to way above bulk where it should be. Diabolic Intent wasn’t too pricey itself though it’s foil version had earned itself a sizeable price tag, so hopefully the new, BETTER ART version will be cheaper in foil.<br />
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Red, unfortunately, seems to have been shafted pretty hard in the reprint department, getting Magmatic Force, Chain Lightning and War’s Toll as it’s “standouts” if you can call them that. War’s Toll actually kinda hit the mark as it was inexplicably a $5 card, and is actually good in a certain breed of controlling red deck. We can be thankful we didn’t get yet another Comet Storm at mythic, but of all the colors Red clearly fares the worst. But that’s actually pretty typical for Red anyway. Oh well.<br />
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Actually, I may have spoken too soon. It is possible the multicolor section is just as underwhelming. Apocalypse Hydra is super lame, but at least it’s rare and not mythic this time. Gwafa and Evil Twin are pretty “meh” as well. Nothing stellar at uncommon either.<br />
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The artifact portion of the set brings us Mind’s Eye (with the bad but still better than before Commander’s Arsenal artwork), and Mycosynth Lattice. Not as awe inspiring as Kor Spiritdancer or Doubling Season to be sure, but good, playable cards just the same. At lower rarity, Spectral Searchlight and Genesis Chamber are okay-ish but not terribly compelling.<br />
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All in all, Battlebond largely nails the reprint selection with a surprisingly high killer/filler ratio. As annoyed as I may be about the Path to Exile snub I can only commend Wizards for delivering such an exciting batch of reprints overall.<br />
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<u><b>Shiny New Toys</b></u><br />
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Now let’s check out the new cards. We’ve already talked about the partner legends, and some of the new Assist and “friend or foe” cards, so we will skip those unless something juicy pops up. That doesn’t leave a ton of cardage to cover with all those other groups weeded out, so now we can do the old card-by-card review thing.<br />
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Arena Rector - Kicking things off with a bang, we have a phenomenal mythic that is sure to see a ton of play. Academy Rector is, unfortunately, a Reserve List card and thus cannot be reprinted, but here we have a clear homage, updated for modern sensibilities. This is literally an Academy Rector for Planeswalkers instead of enchantments. Automatic staple in any deck with a high-value target for her to fetch up.<br />
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Brightling - White finally gets it’s Morphling variant and for once WotC finally decides not to adhere to the strict 5-mana price point, making this possibly the best Morphling wannabe since the original. NOT likely to be an EDH all-start but should see a smattering of play in agressive white decks. <br />
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Together Forever - Probably gets played in any Abzan or Selesnya +1/+1 counter deck as reasonable protection against sweepers. Probably gets cut later on for a far more efficient answer to sweepers such as Heroic Intervention or something. <br />
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Fumble - Well that’s a downer for Voltron player not lucky enough to draw their Swiftfoot Boots in time. Very niche, but also very powerful when it is relevant. <br />
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Arcane Artisan - Would have made a very cool build-around commander if it were Legendary but alas… still this probably fits the “more cool than powerful” sweet spot for many casual EDH fans. A nice high-risk, high-reward card for blue mages wanting to do something a little more fun than the typical Blue shtick.<br />
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Game Plan - an Assist card I didn’t call out previously, this one might see fringe play simply because even a bad Wheel of Fortune is bound to make it into a deck here and there. Don’t kid yourself though - if you stick this in a Nekusar deck, NO ONE is ever going to help you with the Assist cost, ya big jerk!<br />
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Spellseeker - Yeah this one is going to get a ton of play. And yeah it’s going to just fetch up Cyclonic Rift virtually every time. But who knows, someday, someone is going to tutor up a different spell with it and we’ll all be stunned. Should note, this also plays well with Panharmonicon - meaning you can get Rift ‘cause duh AND get something fun too!<br />
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Archfiend of Despair - Kind of a crap mythic, but still kinda cool. Probably sees some light duty action in decks that can bypass it’s whopping eight mana price tag - Kaalia maybe, or Shadowborn Apostle decks. Would love to see this thing’s rules text on a cheaper enchantment but doubt that’ll happen anytime soon. <br />
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Stunning Reversal - This one seems more applicable. It’s highly conditional and will suck balls to draw it early on in a game where you are nowhere near death. But still, the chance to cheat death and even draw a shitload of cards before going down in flames is exciting. Pulling of a Hail Mary win after casting this will make for some of those legendary stories the format is known for.<br />
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Thrilling Encore - I’m sure there will be a segment of the crowd pooping on this. It is, after all, a five-mana instant that isn’t Blue and therefore isn’t in the one color most capable of holding up five mana for multiple turns. And it does close to nothing or even literal nothing outside of turns where a lot of things die all at once. But I disagree - Black is exceptionally good at playing the Big Mana game, and is exceptionally good at making lots of things die all at once. This is not going to hit Cyclonic Rift levels of staple-hood but it sure as shit ought to make the cut in a high % of Black decks overall. <br />
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Bonus Round - Fork (or more accurately Reverberate) for every subsequent spell you can manges to cast in a turn, this is almost certainly on the radar of every Izzet spells/combo deck player out there. Likely nowhere near good enough for high-tier competitive combo decks, but almost certainly good enough for regular, casual combo decks. Expect to see this in all manner of U/R “spellslinger” decks. <br />
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Najeela, the Blade-Blossom - Jank, but awesome jank. Anyone looking to try out 5-color Warrior tribal need look no further. This ain’t a card for me, but I still love that it exists and I hope to play against an Najeela deck in the near future. I’m pretty sure some folks out there are already brewing some sort of combo deck a la Food Chain Tazri but whatever. You do you, folks.<br />
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Stolen Strategy - I’ve seen this likened to a Red Phyrexian Arena but I’m not sure it’s quite that, but it does certainly do the persistent, slow trickle of card advantage thing, and in a color that badly needs help in that department. Seems destined for minor-staple status as Red players will often just take whatever they can get in the card draw department.<br />
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Bramble Sovereign - Holy balls this is nutso. At first it seems like the mono-green half of Riku on it’s own which would be really good, but it’s actually better than that! And worse, sort of, too. Worse simply because it isn’t a Legend and therefore can be reliably accessed via command zone. But it’s better because it doesn’t just copy your own creatures, but rather ANY creature hitting play! Damn. I see absolutely no reason this should not immediately become a staple in Green decks across the format. Combine with the reprinted Seedborn Muse and suddenly the entire table is going to have serious issues casting creatures. <br />
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Grothama, All-Devouring - Honestly I am not quite sure what the heck this thing is up to. I don’t know if it’s terrible or actually secretly awesome, but it is at the very least quite interesting. I’ll be very interested in seeing what kind of brews other, better deckbuilders come up with for this guy.<br />
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Generous Patron - Already mentioned it but this card seems bonkers for Hapatra decks, or I suppose, any other deck that is more about putting counters on other people’s stuff. But I especially love this for Hapatra for a few reasons. Sure, it can draw an absurd number of cards, but that part was obvious. But in Hapatra the Support ability is actually also likely to be very handy. A lot of times Hapatra winds up forced to put a counter or two on Hapatra herself to get the snake-ball rolling. But being a 2/2 this is likely to be awkward - we don’t want to kill our commander! Giving her even a +1/+1 boost is often going to be enough to mitigate this issue. And luckily, at three mana, the Patron comes down right after Hapatra herself, right on curve. They could not have designed a more perfectly-fitting card for that deck.<br />
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Archon of Valor’s Reach - I guess this will probably see play. I would prefer it in UW, which are more traditionally the colors in which one is expected to be a bit of a dick. Anyway, the real problem is, it’s going to be tough to choose just the right option to prevent this from getting killed right away. People don’t like being told they can’t play their stuff and react pretty decisively to such things. <br />
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Last One Standing - Oh look, it’s the card “Brawl” from Hearthstone! Neat! Seriously, though this is not at all terrible for 3 mana. Even if the randomly-chosen creature is the one you most hoped to be rid of, chances are, killing everything else for such a discounted cost will be a worthy consolation prize. And there is a pretty good chance you’ll still have mana left for a follow up play. I have a feeling I’ll be sleeving this up often.<br />
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Sentinel Tower - Seems like a worse version of Aetherflux Reservoir for Storm decks. And, unlike the Reservoir, this doesn’t really do much outside of Storm decks and/or spellslinger decks. At least the lifegain aspect of Aetherflux made it relevant to other archetypes like Oloro or Karlov. Kind of a disappointing card overall.<br />
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Victory Chimes - NOT a disappointing card, this little mana rock has some real potential in EDH. Any deck that has a heavy focus on instant-speed, reactive cards will have to at least consider this. Of course it doesn’t mana-fix so the more colors you are playing the less viable this becomes. But for mono- and two-color decks that want to have mana up on their opponents’ turns I expect this to hit the mark nicely. <br />
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Finally, we come to the dual land cycle introduced in Battlebond. Personally I am pretty unimpressed with these lands. It’s not that every new land cycle has to be fetchable - i.e. having the basic land types such as “Forest Plains” a la the RAV shocklands or the ABUR duals - but in this case, it does hurt. They just don’t stack up well to many other cycles, not just the higher-priced lands.<br />
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Probably their closest competitors are the “check lands” - Sunpetal Grove or Isolated Chapel for example. In two-color decks, I think you’d be happy to run both, of course. Even with all the really good lands - fetches, shocks, OG duals, etc, most two-color decks still wind up running way more basics than they’d like, so just dumping a basic for one of these seems fine. <br />
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And if you are trying to build, say, three-color mana bases on a tighter budget, these should also be perfectly fine. In these regards the biggest strike against this cycle is really just that it is only the allied pairs. If they ever finish the cycle to include the enemy colors, that would be a boon to newer or more budget oriented players. <br />
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But if you are like me and like your mana base to be as near perfect as possible, these just aren’t ever going to make the cut when stacked up against the likes of the Shadowmoor filters and the Ravnica bouncelands. Again, IF they end up printing the enemy half of the cycle down the road I can see these MAYBE replacing the check lands, IF we’re still running those at that point.<br />
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<u><b>Closing</b></u><br />
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This has been a rather glowing review and I honestly think the set deserves all the praise it's getting from all corners of the player base. But there are always downsides. In addition to the Path to Exile thing which I have harped on plenty already, I am also pretty disappointed with some of the flavor and aesthetics of this set. <br />
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Some of the artwork is pretty bad - Will and Rowan for instance look like the bad Planeswalkers from those Planeswalker-themed decks they've been doing recently. You know, the ones with really janky versions of whatever 'Walkers are in the main set? Those are usually pretty terrible, power-wise but also seem to near-universally have vastly inferior artwork. That's the feel I get from Will and Rowan - their illustrations look like middling DeviantArt pieces. <br />
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And as much as I dig Pir and Toothy for their mechanics, I really despise how they look like they belong in a silver-bordered Un-set. WAY to cartoonish and silly for proper Magic, IMO. But really it's not even that so much as the whole setting just feels drastically off-brand for the Magic IP. <br />
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Wizards has usually been VERY protective of the Magic IP, so much so that they have adamantly shot-down suggestions of crossovers between Magic and other WotC-owned IPs such as Dungeons and Dragons. <br />
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But the world of Battlebond feels very much like a departure from that stance. It is the least Magic-y set ever printed, IMO and much of the art and visual identity strikes me as far more science fiction than fantasy. Yeah you can point to plenty of examples of actual magic use on many cards, but look at the lands, especially the duals. The W/U and R/G ones definitely look like the belong in the Magic multiverse but the other three absolutely do not feel like they are even from the same game. <br />
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Even other high-tec/sci-fi-esque sets like Mirrodin or Kaladesh still manage to capture the distinctive feel and look of being a plane within the Magic setting - just more metallic and technological than other planes. But whatever plane Battlebond is set in just doesn't fit the same way. As much as I love the set otherwise, it is one of the ugliest and most garish sets in recent memory. <br />
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Some of the artwork is spectacular of course - I really dig the overall look of the Azra race, and in particular the new illustration for Diabolic Intent is a real stunner. Eh, but I've been bitching about the art direction of MtG for quite a while now and I still pretty much hate it. It has reached the point where you can truly no longer call it "art" anymore - it is just "illustration" now. I miss the creativity of old-school art. Sometimes it was ugly but at least it was distinct and you could tell one artist's style from another's. <br />
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But we all gotta have something to bitch about, and if the worst complaint I can muster is a tired old rant about the art and flavor then I guess that's actually a pretty good sign. <br />
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So, if anyone is out there actually reading this, what cards are YOU looking forward too? Are you brewing new decks with Battlebond commanders, or just soaking up all the reprint value for your existing decks? I barely touched on any commons or uncommons, so did I miss any hidden gems at the lower rarities? Let me know in the comments!<br />
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Enjoy Thaumaturgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07734372825472901455noreply@blogger.com2