And another dose of m14. Man, that sounds like I'm either killing you or handing you a secret government super-soldier serum. Or an actual M-14. I don't know which yet. That's up to you.
The overall reception and impression I got from hanging out at prerelease last week and in talking with GG and JC is that this set just "isn't that good."
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| When Kramer says, "Sell," I get it. You sell. |
However, after I learned to ignore all the Sliver nonsense in the Spoilers, it was much easier to be a little more objective of this year's Core Set.
Here's a mixed bag of some of the stuff that's going to be coming for me next week. A few of these GG talked about, some he didn't. I tried to put this list together full of things I'm looking forward to trying out, but we're also going to do a little review if it's something GG didn't talk about.
10. Staff Cycle
However, I'm much more receptive to these. The design feels slightly improved, so I bit. It was a $.50 investment, so I don't feel bad.
Greel makes a lot of basic land drops and plays a lot of spells- which means it loses quite a bit of life. I am playing the Sign In Blood/Ancient Craving suite after all.
I don't mind pitching a card like this either, which is why the Black Staff is nice for that deck. I think it could get the job done here as a supporter option for my only other life gain outlet, Pristine Talisman. Cause that's how hardasses roll.
I will try it in a few other decks too. I have one of each mono-colored deck right now, and I'm notorious for running a crap ton of basics. So I could be gaining 1-2 life per turn. Through the course of an EDH game, that might be relevant. Won't know until I try though.
I'm not saying they're great. This is very under-under-the-radar-thought-thoughts. They've gotta prove themselves.
I foresee that I'll probably cut them pretty quick solely based on the fact that they cost 3 to cast. This might be overpayment. I wish they were common, honestly. Pauper would love this stuff they way they just eat up Pristine Talisman. OM NOM NOM NOM. The value menu is so tasty.
9. Windreader Sphinx
I've put Llawan on hold for a while, so Braids and the BBH can stay in business a little longer. I'm heavily invested in Sphinx power, and though I'm really not up on this art or the CMC or its lack of power, I do love flyers and drawing cards.
So we're doing it. I'm in in the process of switching out some of my other threats for more Sphinx Power. We'll see what happens. I'm optimistic.
Back to Windreader- The selling point was that he doesn't have to attack to trigger the card draw. I like that in a card.
On the fence with this one, but I don't dislike it nearly as much as I did in my first impression.
8. Strionic Resonator
This is why I think Resonator has the potential to be better than Illusionist's Bracers and Rings of Brighthearth. I'm not really a fan of either, I've mentioned, because I don't play them particularly well.
Strionic Resonator feels like a fresh start. It's cheaper, lighter, and can sneak into the game early on when there's not a lot going on.
Realistically, the big thing I'm worried about with this card is the capacity to want to abuse the value out of it. That sounds weird, but what I mean is that I don't want to deliberately gum up the works and wait until I can cast things for double value when single value is just fine.
This is the best way to explain what I'm trying to say. Back when I played 60-card I had an Enchantress-based deck I liked to call "Arrested Deck-velopment," which won by abusing Sigil of the Empty Throne, Luminarch Ascension, and stalling out opponents with O-Ring, Pacifism, and Journey to Nowhere.
One of the worst parts about this deck was having to wait until Turn 3 to play an Enchantress, or Turn 5 to drop Sigil so you could go to work with all your auras and O-Rings for value. I played Paths, but it was just annoying to have to wait and wait and wait and not get angels.
Giving your opponent that many extra turns is enough for even a beginning Magic player to just own you. Bad deck is bad.
Ergo, This is why I don't play Rings of Brighthearth, and what I'm thinking is going to be the reason I'll be cutting Resonator shortly after I put it in the deck.
And it's a shame. I love the sensory perception of the artwork. The actual art itself is fairly simple, but the colors and soundwaves connect to me on a wavelength that's so silent it's almost hypnotic. It's why I bought this card. It told me to. Gonna try it in Yeva and see what happens.
7. Celestial Flare
This is a nice budget answer to Uril or Rafiq if these guys are flying around your local metagame, and I'm sure that they are.
I play the crap out of Diabolic Edict. I see no reason not to play a white version. That'd be reverse discrimination.
Sidenote: Gideon Flavor Text. Feels weird. I guess he's the combat guru in the White P-Dubs family, but I just don't think he's the kinda guy that would be on a card called "Celestial Flare." Seems more like Ajani or Elspeth to me.
6. Dark Prophecy
| "Shh! I'm hunting Wabbitz." -Elmer Fudd |
The only black deck I'm playing right now is Greel, and I draw a ton of cards there. I want to say I've netted about 15 extra cards a game off Geth's Grimoire and any combination of Ancient Craving's and Sign In Blood's. Then there's all the Reanimation. It's a combo player's dream, basically.
That said, GG's assessment of using this as a way to 'Rattlesnake' seems cool. I didn't think about that, but I like it. I'll just be particularly worried about what happens when someone Wraths my Army of the Damned. It'll hurt, might even cost me the game- but at least I'll go out doing something I love. Drawing cards.
Seriously though- the real reason I want to talk about this one is the art.
I've always thought that smiling is the scariest thing any monster could do in a horror film. Smiling through a window. That's like the perfect quintessential slasher scare.
This one gets close. I'm freaked out by this card. Not as disturbed as I was the first time I saw Brood of Cockroaches, but close. Real close. He's just too damn happy killin' rabbits.
5. Ogre Battledriver
It feels like value. I've been trying to find other haste outlets besides Maelstrom Wanderer to increase tempo in the mid-game, and Wizards might've just conveniently placed one right on my lap.
Like GG, I love the design. WotC's printed a few Red cards I like these days, and they seem to have a better understanding of our favorite "stepchild" in the color pie.
Can't say enough about how excited I am though. It's a good one. I'm glad the text box is right. Maybe soon the art will match it, like it does on blue cards.
4. Elite Arcanist
I can't be certain, but I'm pretty sure this is the gorram Sith. Sure looks like one. Sure has the power of one.
Yay. Word play. I know you're looking at that P/T. Maybe you'll get it now.
Contrary to the dark origins I've made up for him, this guy seems awesome. I'm pretty happy to have a "bad" Isochron Scepter.
But really is this "bad?" He's basically workable in every color deck on up to five, and if you play as many instants as GG and I try to play, I'm fairly certain this is going to get out of hand really quickly.
However, I'm not enthralled at all by the fact that Azami Wizards got another Ertai, Wizard Adept, but I'll let the hate flow through one ear and out the other for now.
Kewl art. Kewl card. Get this one. You'll thank me later.
3. Liliana's Reaver
| Gorram Reavers. They'll getcha. |
The card advantage and value is just oozing out of this guy. Specter/Zombie triggers, so he likes chump blocks. Deathtouch, because again, he eats chump blocks.
The dude is card advantage machine.
And 4 power- because, you know, the secret to power creep is also being creepy. And he sure is creepy
Go buy all the copies in your local gamestores, Zoners. Scare your little sisters so they have nightmares, then play them in your decks so your friends will also have nightmares.
2. Sporemound
Now, I'm guessing the brown is the actual "sporemound,"
and that was something I didn't expect.
I thought it would look a little more lively, considering it's a creature. Honestly, it doesn't look like a creature.
But I like mystical yellow flares that make things look like something special's going on.
Cause in this case, something special is kind of going on in the text box below, and I can't wait to play him.
This a bonafide home run for me. Commons shouldn't be this good.
1. Colossal Whale
| "If the right built the anchor, and the wrong have set sail, I'm a whale, I'm a, well, I'm a whale." -Daro, Coppertank Island |
The flavor is awesome, and the art is reminiscent of a real-life "Wailord" for you Poke-Nerds (like me) out there who wondered what that would look like.
Hell, it even appeals to our literary friends who love Ishmael or little kid Bible stories about guys named Jonah.
And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that I'll be mentally singing the chorus to my favorite Fair to Midland song every time I cast him (see caption).
We now have a Magic card that supplements a sentimentality from multiple pop culture references. I liked Aladdin, and I can only hope we get a bunch of sweet Greek stuff like this in Theros. FOUR MORE YEARS! FOUR MORE YEARS!
My final though here- BEWARE OF THE WHALE. I get to play him for basically nothing in Animar, thereby eating everyone with his immense value and potentially unblockable damage.
As always, we'd love to know what cards you like. So comment below.
I don't have any good sign off this week, so I'ma let Fair to Midland play us out. That way, you can enjoy good music, and get what I'm talking about.
Heerre's Daro and friends!
I'm a whale.
-UL
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