Super Secret Sunday 13

Hello again youngins', your old Grandpa Growth here with another super secret sunday, where we talk about under played cards, under the radar strategies, and under-thought thoughts. We are coming to the end of Gatecrash spoiler season and, at the time I am writing this, about half the set has been spoiled. I, for one, am extremely excited about some of the amazing new singles that have been previewed. Gatecrash has been juiced up to scary power creep levels. Pre-order prices are soaring way above normal levels! Gatecrash is shaping up to be the most anticipated set in recent memory and is sure to have an immediate impact on all constructed formats and cubes everywhere.

If you get a chance, make sure you head out to your local game store and play in the prerelease events! It is the first chance to play with the new cards, experience a brand sealed deck environment, and have some good old fashioned MTG fun. Prereleases are a great, low key organized play environment where you can add some new members to your play group, play any format you can imagine with your friends, and trade with a large, concentrated group that is unlikely to be duplicated on any other day. Even if you don't play in the event there will definitely be people around playing some EDH and that's pretty much what it is all about right?

I am going to be participating in two prerelease events, midnight Friday evening, and Sunday afternoon. Playing Dimir and Simic respectively, although I fully expect Boros aggro to dominate this sealed environment. In honor of the GC prerelease dropping next weekend I am going to talk about 5 of my favorite cards, one from each of the GC guild color combos. Let's get started!

First up, Dimir! This is one of my favorite guilds, and plays well in the strategies that I have the most fun with: glacially slow, answer-based, control decks. Creatures are not very good in eternal formats. The only creatures that consistently see play usually have a bonus tacked on that is worth a card or more. Removal is way cheaper than threats and that isn't likely to change...ever. So, since the design of the game is already dramatically imbalanced in the favor of spell-based decks, why don't we make it EVEN HARDER for creature decks to operate!

This is a sassy way to shut down weenie strategies or decks that rely heavily on mana dorks to operate. Breathstealer's cage can actually turn out to be a reliable clock in certain matchups and effectively allows control decks to compete in mid-game race situations. In multiplayer, this card is worth about a thousand damage over the course of the game...so that's something. NOT TO MENTION YOU GET PERFECT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR EVERYONE'S DRAW STEP.

Hull Breach is one of my favorite magic cards and is a poster child for power, card advantage, flexibility, multicolor mechanics and flavor, and efficient design. It is also modal, which I think just about just every card should be, since the most played cards are the ones that offer choice on high-value options.

Hull Breach is insanely powerful and is a very 'fair' way to answer some very 'unfair' cards. The thing I love the most about this card is that it punishes people who play investichantments by crushing their dreams in a way that is efficient on both cards and mana. Hull Breach is one of the strongest reasons to play this color combination and is a card that consistently draws me to play these colors.

What else can I say about Spitting Image that hasn't already been said? If you have been following S^3 from the beginning then you have gotten a pretty good feel for me as a player. This is EVERYTHING I want out of a card. It is pure card advantage. It stops chronic flooding. It is a fantastic late game mana sink. It is a win condition that defeats other win conditions and laughs at disruption. It's power level scales up at every stage of the game and it is always the most powerful threat available. Rebuying etb effects. It fights removal with aplomb. It converts resources perfectly; you can turn unused mana and cards in hand into relevant threats.

This card flat out wins games, sometimes it does so on the spot. Certain decks are just not equipped to fight it. What does a Captain Sisay deck do? Remove it from the graveyard? The blue deck has the counter spells. GG. Spit is one of my top 5 cards and is in my favorite two color combo. If you have Islands and Forests laying around, get to work. Do not leave this on the sidelines. Go forth my children. Go forth and win.

I have a confession. I have never played an Orzhov deck. Absurd, right? Possibly. The colors mesh well together, from White you get...the best of everything and from Black you get...Demonic Tutor! What's not to love.

It was a tough call coming up with what my favorite B/W card was. I love me a Vindicate, Gerard's Verdict, Purgatory, and Debtor's Knell, but it really came down to Zealous vs. Tidehollow Sculler. I figured I would give it a rest this week, since I talk about hand disruption pretty much every week. Although, to be fair I do talk a lot about token hosers too...


Finally we will discuss the Boros guild. I have also never had a Boros EDH deck, but that shouldn't come as much of a surprise; I despise aggro decks in the format and W/R has a deplorably weak selection of commanders. It has actually gotten some great help in recent sets. Gisela is a very playable gal, and I expect Aurelia to be well represented in the coming months. If you plan on showing up to tables where pdubs are sittin' on fat stacks, then you best come equipped to battle some Boros beats.

And you should also be prepared to see this card. Waves is actually pretty standard fare in R/W decks, but the general unpopularity of the archetype makes this card fit into my definition of 'underplayed'.



Well, that is all for this week youngins'. I'll be back next week with a special prerelease themed S^3 where I discuss the under the radar powerhouses from the new sealed environment! Take care and thanks for reading.

PASS.