Our picks are mostly things that have been on our mind- surprising results of Magic's strange and underestimated.
So let's get to it. THIS IS THE STACK!
VENSER'S JOURNALIST'S PICK
Venser's Journalist- THUMBS UP
Perhaps a stark departure from my usual picks for the stack, this Efreet has proven its worth to me. When I saw that Wizards reprinted this card for Commander 2013, I thought they were scrounging around the "What do we got" files. Then I saw it in play.
Although I admit it is not a terribly effective card at what it is supposed to do (which is break things and look mean and scary), it does have a certain charm. The very nature of Efreets and Djinns make them unreliable and could cost you dearly. But when they work to your advantage, there is no complaining.
What I like most about this card is that it's essentially a destruction engine. There's a 66.6% chance (coincidence? I think not, WotC...) that you can gain an upper hand each of your turns. But if you play a bunch of stuff that's supposed to die, then you should be happy either way. In a Kresh, the Bloodbraided deck, this is a great way to pump up your commander every turn. In a Sek'Kuar deck (another one that has been reprinted) you'll most likely prefer to have your own creatures die.
I think what really won me over was the flavor text. If you've ever seen the movie Bedazzled, you know how wishes can be wishy-washy.
Johnny Confidant- THUMBS UP
This guy has seen a rise in play in my group specifically in the decks that don't mind loosing a creature or two for the advantage of having someone else's permanent removed. Obviously, this guy is more or less a political creature in addition to chance Enchantment removal for mono Red decks willing to lose something in return.
Put this in a Krenko deck, with Eldrazi Monument and perhaps you won't make many friends.
Uncle Landdrops- THUMBS UP
I haven't ever played this card, but I can think of a lot of decks that would love this. I like the idea of bending the odds- targeting your indestructible creature, stealing your opponent's creature and making it the nonland permanent you control- even using Brion Stoutarm to fling your creature if you lose the random roll. This card is fun, and can create all-win scenarios for you. Might take a little bit of building around, but there are decks that can benefit. Also- nice non-Azorius card VJ!
Grandpa Growth- THUMBS UP
Bet you were surprised about that, huh? This is a card I never play, but I am happy that I don't have to play against. It is way better than it looks. It gives Red access to a recurring destruction affect that is significantly off-color. It present consistent card advantage with little downside and it has enough power to pressure your opponents life total while you get further ahead on board. If this had some sort of protection from removal it would be near perfect. A friend of mine has this in his cube...which I will admit is unconventional, but it IS good. When the format gets deeper, having access to powerful and flexible removal becomes that much more important.
GRANDPA GROWTH'S PICK
Grandpa Growth- THUMBS UP
UL said we get free reign on The Stack this week, so I am going to talk about Pauper Cube...in which this card is absolutely filthy. This got moved down to common with the release of Modern Masters some months ago so I decided to give it a try in my common cube. Strangely, it wasn't getting played, but I have a rule about cutting things before they have a chance to prove themselves. It had never been cast until this week...when I was blown out by it multiple times in the same match. My 3/3 blocks your 3/3. You cast this, my dude dies, and your guy becomes a 6/6? What is this ridiculousness...It's a pump spell that gives a permanent bonus. Ugh...how am I supposed to play around this? Never attack? Rest assured, this little guy has cemented his inclusion and has jumped way up the pick order. My play group is now aware of the power and the potential.
Uncle Landdrops- SURE
I like +1/+1 counters. I don't like the new "Tempt with White Mike's Ability" card, but this is a lot better. It's more likely to end up on a list of funny things I want to put on an Isochron Scepter than it is in one of my EDH decks, but maybe that's a deck I build. I try not to know what I'm doing next. Making unexpected decks and spontaneous card choices sometimes translates to nice in-game surprises, which leads to shocking my opponent, and I like that quality of my decks and my game quite a bit.
UNCLE LANDDROPS' PICK
Uncle Landdrops- THUMBS UP
Before Theros, I had a good-but-one-dimensional Greel deck solely focused on getting rid of your hand so that I could end the game with either the first or second resolution of Army of the Damned.
Well, the Gods were good to Greel, and brought some depth to my silly Horror Spellshaper deck. The deck received many obvious includes (Hythonia, Erebos, Hero's Downfall, Read the Bones), and some ones I didn't expect too, like Gray Merchant and the Whip
I severely underestimated it. In my deck, the card is almost Crypt Incursion, but a permanent. I've had at least three games now where I've been able to leverage serious value off of this card, whether it was Reanimate beats, getting devotion for Erebos or Gray Merchant, or just simply having Lifelink to recoup all the life I lose from silly sorcery-speed card draw spells. Yeah. I've abused everything from the text box this card's converted mana cost, and I'm not ashamed. It was awesome.
I went a whole game being the premier threat at the table, and still wound up winning and it was mostly because of this card and its friends. Play it if you got it, kill it quick if you don't.
Grandpa Growth- THUMBS UP
I think the people at Wizards severely underestimate how powerful Lifelink is. This just gains you so much life. You play this and it is like you started the game at around 60 or so. You can just dig creatures for so much value, including a ton of life, which gives you more time, TO DIG MORE STUFF.
I find it strange that some of the cards in the cycle were directly based on a previously printed Enchantments of the same color and some were not, but I am not complaining. This is a fresh, awesome new card and I am pumped about it. I think I was wrong in my set review. This is probably the best, probably. Haven't really had a chance to compare this to Bow of Nylea in a meaningful gameplay scenario. The fact that this always gives Lifelink, but Bow only gives attackers Deathtouch is kind of a knock on Bow.
-UL and the TGZ CREW
Venser's Journalist- THUMBS UP
Perhaps a stark departure from my usual picks for the stack, this Efreet has proven its worth to me. When I saw that Wizards reprinted this card for Commander 2013, I thought they were scrounging around the "What do we got" files. Then I saw it in play.
Although I admit it is not a terribly effective card at what it is supposed to do (which is break things and look mean and scary), it does have a certain charm. The very nature of Efreets and Djinns make them unreliable and could cost you dearly. But when they work to your advantage, there is no complaining.
What I like most about this card is that it's essentially a destruction engine. There's a 66.6% chance (coincidence? I think not, WotC...) that you can gain an upper hand each of your turns. But if you play a bunch of stuff that's supposed to die, then you should be happy either way. In a Kresh, the Bloodbraided deck, this is a great way to pump up your commander every turn. In a Sek'Kuar deck (another one that has been reprinted) you'll most likely prefer to have your own creatures die.
I think what really won me over was the flavor text. If you've ever seen the movie Bedazzled, you know how wishes can be wishy-washy.
Johnny Confidant- THUMBS UP
This guy has seen a rise in play in my group specifically in the decks that don't mind loosing a creature or two for the advantage of having someone else's permanent removed. Obviously, this guy is more or less a political creature in addition to chance Enchantment removal for mono Red decks willing to lose something in return.
Put this in a Krenko deck, with Eldrazi Monument and perhaps you won't make many friends.
Uncle Landdrops- THUMBS UP
I haven't ever played this card, but I can think of a lot of decks that would love this. I like the idea of bending the odds- targeting your indestructible creature, stealing your opponent's creature and making it the nonland permanent you control- even using Brion Stoutarm to fling your creature if you lose the random roll. This card is fun, and can create all-win scenarios for you. Might take a little bit of building around, but there are decks that can benefit. Also- nice non-Azorius card VJ!
Grandpa Growth- THUMBS UP
Bet you were surprised about that, huh? This is a card I never play, but I am happy that I don't have to play against. It is way better than it looks. It gives Red access to a recurring destruction affect that is significantly off-color. It present consistent card advantage with little downside and it has enough power to pressure your opponents life total while you get further ahead on board. If this had some sort of protection from removal it would be near perfect. A friend of mine has this in his cube...which I will admit is unconventional, but it IS good. When the format gets deeper, having access to powerful and flexible removal becomes that much more important.
GRANDPA GROWTH'S PICK
UL said we get free reign on The Stack this week, so I am going to talk about Pauper Cube...in which this card is absolutely filthy. This got moved down to common with the release of Modern Masters some months ago so I decided to give it a try in my common cube. Strangely, it wasn't getting played, but I have a rule about cutting things before they have a chance to prove themselves. It had never been cast until this week...when I was blown out by it multiple times in the same match. My 3/3 blocks your 3/3. You cast this, my dude dies, and your guy becomes a 6/6? What is this ridiculousness...It's a pump spell that gives a permanent bonus. Ugh...how am I supposed to play around this? Never attack? Rest assured, this little guy has cemented his inclusion and has jumped way up the pick order. My play group is now aware of the power and the potential.
Uncle Landdrops- SURE
I like +1/+1 counters. I don't like the new "Tempt with White Mike's Ability" card, but this is a lot better. It's more likely to end up on a list of funny things I want to put on an Isochron Scepter than it is in one of my EDH decks, but maybe that's a deck I build. I try not to know what I'm doing next. Making unexpected decks and spontaneous card choices sometimes translates to nice in-game surprises, which leads to shocking my opponent, and I like that quality of my decks and my game quite a bit.
UNCLE LANDDROPS' PICK
Before Theros, I had a good-but-one-dimensional Greel deck solely focused on getting rid of your hand so that I could end the game with either the first or second resolution of Army of the Damned.
Well, the Gods were good to Greel, and brought some depth to my silly Horror Spellshaper deck. The deck received many obvious includes (Hythonia, Erebos, Hero's Downfall, Read the Bones), and some ones I didn't expect too, like Gray Merchant and the Whip
I severely underestimated it. In my deck, the card is almost Crypt Incursion, but a permanent. I've had at least three games now where I've been able to leverage serious value off of this card, whether it was Reanimate beats, getting devotion for Erebos or Gray Merchant, or just simply having Lifelink to recoup all the life I lose from silly sorcery-speed card draw spells. Yeah. I've abused everything from the text box this card's converted mana cost, and I'm not ashamed. It was awesome.
I went a whole game being the premier threat at the table, and still wound up winning and it was mostly because of this card and its friends. Play it if you got it, kill it quick if you don't.
Grandpa Growth- THUMBS UP
I think the people at Wizards severely underestimate how powerful Lifelink is. This just gains you so much life. You play this and it is like you started the game at around 60 or so. You can just dig creatures for so much value, including a ton of life, which gives you more time, TO DIG MORE STUFF.
I find it strange that some of the cards in the cycle were directly based on a previously printed Enchantments of the same color and some were not, but I am not complaining. This is a fresh, awesome new card and I am pumped about it. I think I was wrong in my set review. This is probably the best, probably. Haven't really had a chance to compare this to Bow of Nylea in a meaningful gameplay scenario. The fact that this always gives Lifelink, but Bow only gives attackers Deathtouch is kind of a knock on Bow.
-UL and the TGZ CREW
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