In General: The Metamorphosis Update

Hello and welcome back to In General. I am Grandpa Growth and this week the Magic community was rocked by a huge announcement from Wizards of the Coast. I would like to delve deep into some of the changes and share my thoughts on what is to come.

On Monday, Magic's lead designer Mark Rosewater dropped a big old truth bomb on us. You can read the official announcement article HERE. And I absolutely demand that you do because this dramatically alters the way that the game is produced, consumed, and played. That article is a long one, and my response will be as well, but rest assured: your patience will be rewarded. Probably with candy.

Discontinuing Core Sets

A little over a month ago I penned an article that posted many of the same complaints about core set. You can read it HERE. For the TLDR crowd the short version goes: core set didn't achieve its goals. It was too complex for use in teaching the game to newcomers, but it wasn't interesting enough to entice experienced tournament players to buy it. The core set was always trading on nostalgia and tradition. For the last five years, the only relevant cards featured in the core sets were recycled dual lands and power curve busting rares that were planted specifically to sell the set. Remember these guys:



In my article, A New Paradigm for Core Set, I outlined all the the same problems that Maro addressed and essentially presented the same solution that the design team came up with. This isn't a fanfare for my clarevoyance, but rather an acknowledgment that the wind was blowing a certain direction and we couldn't ignore it forever.

So the gist of the deal is that the core set is going away. A new product will be coming in the future that will be more directly marketed to new players and won't try to feature prominently in tournament play.

I think that this a fantastic idea and I can't wait to see this new product. If you spent as much time as I do trying to teach the game to new friends, you would understand my longing for a better set of tools.

More Smaller Blocks

So if the Core set dies, what will take its place in the hearts of experienced players? Well, there will still be four major set releases every year. Instead of (generally) releasing a core set, a large set, and two smaller sets. We will now get two large sets and two small sets. These will replace the current block structure with more compact two set blocks.

I agree completely with the logic behind these changes as well. Draft environments are meticulously designed. Adding pieces to a perfect machine is difficult and unnecessary. Intentionally leaving working parts out of a machine with the idea of adding them later is kind of a waste of the current product; you should strive to make it as good as it can be.

This problem led to many awkward decisions by the design team. For the most part, they handled what Maro calls "the third set problem" very elegantly. Rise of the Eldrazi was awesome. Return to Ravnica block's innovative draft structure was very intriguing. Scars block draft was completely scrambled every time a new set was added. Theros block was by far the worst full-block limited experience thus far under New World Order, but it was still very good. The mechanics were tight and flavorful. The power level was high; games were exciting, and the more skilled player usually won.

There are only so many ways to skin a cat, though. Wizards had been dancing around the idea of a change for a long time. Experimenting with different block structures was just practice for the things to come. Eventually, it seems that they decided to go with the formula from Lorwyn block and I think that is a good decision.

So What Happens To Standard?

Well, quite a bit actually. Standard is the most popular and most played tournament format. It is also the ONLY one affected by this change, so Wizards had to be careful. Khans of Tarkir is still a 'normal' block and it will be played the same way. However, it and all future blocks will stay in Standard for eighteen months instead of two years.

Standard will now consist of the three most recent blocks and every time a new large set is released, the oldest block in Standard will rotate out. That means that standard will undergo multiple rotations ever year, keeping the format fresh as a daisy. It is important to note that all three sets of Khans block will rotate out as one unit.

The Good Shepherd

Maro stressed in the announcement article that they wanted to get this message out before Khans dropped. That way people would understand the impact of this change before they invested heavily into Khans, since it will have a shorter impact on Standard than any previous three-set block.

I agree with the timing of this statement and I think it was wise and thoughtful. I don't expect this to cut into the sales figures of Khans. In fact, I expect Khans to be among the top 10 best sellers, simply because the 'wedge block' has been highly anticipated for years. It also occurs to me, based on the timing of this announcement, that Wizards has been planning this move for some time.

Blocks are conceived several years in advance and are designed at least a full two years ahead of their release. Changes are still made after that of course, but development signs off on the set well before it gets printed. Based on that, we can reconstruct the timeline and safely assume that the genesis of this change can be traced back to sometime during 2012. Many in the Magic community have been expecting this change for some time, but I wasn't standing in Redmond with a pickett sign during the Dark Ascension prerelease weekend, that is for sure.

What does this mean to players? The admins have made a positive change. Moreover, they are collecting feedback and responding to it. It means that we are in good hands. I have always been a critic of the design team and things like this just warm my heart. I look ahead with renewed faith knowing that the game is in a good place, but on its way to an even better one. Wizards righted the ship BEFORE the storm hit. It makes an old sailor proud.

What do you think of the big changes? I am excited. If you haven't already, take to the comments, facebooks, tweeters, and blogospheres to share your comments and support for this brave new direction. Till next week Zoners.

-GG

Glowing Ranks: Green Legends

Happy Three-Day Weekend Zoners!

I'm kicking off the fall with a series of articles of  Legendary Creature power ranks. I've put quite a bit of distance since my last set of lists, and rather than give you a list of creatures I'm most excited about, this list comes from my more objective side.

So even though Omnath wins the battle for mono-Green superiority (Spoilers!), and Wild Azusa will appear, there's still plenty of room, I hope, for surprise and intrigue as we attack the big, mean, Mono-Green decks, and the subsequent lists you'll see over the next few Saturdays. Let's begin!

5. Silvos, Rogue Elemental

The only thing setting Silvos back from leapfrogging the Commanders on this list is his mana cost. It's huge, and almost always requires an extra G open for any typical Murder-style removal. While there is quite a bit of removal that Silvos can't respond to, there are still enough cards rendered inert by Silvos' regenerate ability to make this a quality threat. As a result, he generates some serious board pressure.

The battlefield is considerably more narrow with a Voltron-style Commander, but the kills are going to generally be a lot quicker if he goes unchecked because Baru and Ezuri have to have board state to finish someone off, and that's a little less certain.

4. Yeva, Nature's Herald

Yeva made into the Top 5 because timing is huge, and the lack of dedication to ramp or tribal provides great design space. We talked about this back when I featured both mine and TappedOut user YouGotFranked's designs that this offbeat tempo to the game makes your opponents play completely different versus other green decks, as it forces blue players to counter spells on their own turn, and other abilities and spellstend to go 1/2 a turn too early. Her aggressive CMC allows for an "early" game cast, and therefore complete re-castability, hence why she's edged out Silvos. Though she won't attack a lot, going back to hand isn't a problem, and chump-blocks are also more favorable.

3. Azusa, Lost but Seeking

Seemingly a no brainer. In actual experience, Azusa is really only as good as the player's opening hand. Playing a lot of basic forests (usually between 40-45 + nonbasics) gives you a full value Azusa the second she comes into play, but also leaves you thin to draw threats. Which can be bad, unless the threat is G-Wave, or Genesis Hydra, even. Like Blue Braids, Azusa wants to play quick and thin, which I think makes this deck far superior in 1v1 than multiplayer, but it's still a tall Timmy deck to battle in the latter.

2. Kamahl, Fist of Krosa

The Kamahl list I play against regularly in my playgroup is perhaps one of the most competitive and powerful lists I've seen. Though one list is hardly a reason to give for why it's better than Azusa, I feel that the case is that this list is merely just under-the-radar based on the popularity of these other creatures. Kamahl is a creature people want to add as a supporter/finisher because it's easier to have as backup with access to tutelage, therefore creating a "feature-but-not-really-but-seriously-it-is" quality to the card.

Contrary to the marginal attitudes, the guy who plays Kamahl in my group has gone all-in on Kamahl's abilities. Fortified with land, ramp, mana dorks, and a ton of untap effects, the deck is a well-oiled Overrun machine, often turning 7/7 lands or bigger sideways for lethal damage. Whereas the Azusa deck will get to a point where it runs out of threats, the thing about Kamahl is that in top deck mode, every card is pretty much a good draw. A land gives Kamahl another creature, or another chance to cast Kamahl, which basically means paying his CMC is both worth it and deck-dependent, while drawing into a creature or another cards almost always yields more lands, the ability to untap lands for more mana, or a piece of card advantage enabling these functions, making this a deck that can go toe-to-toe with a lot of the decks in the list.

1. Omnath, Locus of Mana

Yeah. Om Nom Nom Nath is #1. Objectively, Omnath can combine any or all of the best qualities of these other green Legends and win with a nice Greatest Hits package.

One of the biggest pet peeves I have about the card is that most people don't recognize this, and use his skills to full potential. What I mean is that the tendency is to be very robotic in their turn rhythm, tapping down all their forests, attacking with Omnath, playing a big spell, and repeating it once it's their turn again.

In the amalgam of my Commander experience, I've seen about 5 different Omnath builds, which I found, that even when the decks were different, everyone wanted to play them this way. I'm not saying it's wrong, just easy.

Once Omnath has some mana meat (what I call the green mana in the pool that pumps the 2G Elemental), why not hold up your Forests until before damage is dealt? Changing your playstyle, and getting comfortable with this will only help to confuse and force your opponents to go through their own checklists.

While I have seen some tricky shenanigans with Yeva and tutors in hand, also a few Instant speed tricks, I find this deck can surely carve out more in its colors than people try. This is a creature with more to offer, even if you anticipate the beatdown. Get creative if you play it, and be prepared if you don't.


Pass.
-UL

Now Brewing: Iroas, God of Victory

Today Zoners I bring you a new article series that focuses just on the building blocks of deckbuilding.  Starting from either a Legendary or a card combination I have been thinking about and looking to you, our loyal readers for input and further development. my hopes for this article is to join material from both our staff and our readers.

So what's in store for us this week? it's Iroas, God of Victory. Iroas caught my attention as being a "better" Boros aggressive general than Tajic due to the evasion and protection that he grants your attackers. Getting in the Red Zone has never felt so good, let's begin.

Beating face with Iroas is a game of the quick and the furious and the first mechanic I chose to run with is Battle Cry. Hero Of Bladehold and Hero of Oxid Ridge are the two I think of when I want to get my swings in. Bladehold brings 2 1/1 friends and Oxid ridge prevents creatures with power 1 or less from blocking and with out first ace in the hole, Mirror Entity, can bring the game to a swift end. Mirror Entity is perfect for a deck that runs so low on CMC and gives you an outlet for all that excess mana that you'll have around.

An aggressive general like Iroas can get around many decks except for token production decks. If the token player can get rolling by the time you start pumping out Iroas you can lose ground and lose the aggressive advantage.

 Let's not let token decks have all the fun though, Strong low CMC creatures like Brimaz, Goblin Rabblemaster, Precinct Captain, Rakka Mar, and the previously mentioned Hero of Bladehold all give us a consistant Tactical advantage. But if you can't Get around them, Our second Ace would have to be Legion Loyalist. He seems a bit off but for 1 mana battalion trigger and devotion he provides a solid answer to a common problem in EDH.

Our second main Mechanic is Level up. A low CMC deck tends to run out of gas and top deck after turn 5, so having something to spend mana on to make better is well within this decks theme. The best four i can think of is Kargan Dragonlord, Lord of Shatterskull Pass, Student of Warfare, and Transcendent Master. Most if not all of these guys can speak for themselves in the end game result of Devotion, and red zone.

While not technically a "Level up" creature, Figure of Destiny is a Beast for this deck, Starting out he's already adding 2 to Devotion. At the end of his transformations hes a 8/8 flying first striker that adds to and upcoming card in this article, Concerted Effort.

Next step, Global Enchantment bonuses to make our weenies more meaty. Ferver, Glory of warfare, Concerted Effort, Luminarch Ascension, and Mobilization makes for a strong set of power boosting and sharing.  If you make soldiers with mobilization, they have vigilance, Concerted effort will grant vigilance to all your creatures. The same can be said with Sierra Ascendant, now they all fly. Fabled Hero or Silverblade Paladin for doublestrike,and Bloodyfray Giant for trample. Best part of these are that not only do they add to devotion to make our general a Creature, but they all want to attack anyway.

So far we have Small creatures that provide big effects when together, token production and evasion, Small creatures to spend mana on to level them up and global enchantment buffing that helps bring the victory for our God here, But what would you guys do with these building blocks? Let me know your Ideas and in a future Article i will Review some of your suggestions,

May the Top decks be ever in your Favor, JC

Iroas Building Blocks
Creatures

1. Hero of Bladehold
2. Hero of Oxid Ridge
3. Mirror Entity
4. Brimaz, King of Oreskos
5. Goblin Rabblemaster
6. Precinct Captain
7. Rakka Mar
8. Legion Loyalist
9. Kargan Dragonlord
10. Lord of Shatterskull Pass
11. Student of Warfare
12. Transcendent Master 
13. Figure of Destiny
14. Sierra Ascendant
15. Fabled Hero 
16. Silverblade Paladin
17. Bloodfray Giant

Enchantments

1. Fervor
2. Glory of Warfare
3. Concerted Effort
4. Luminarch Ascension
5. Mobilization

UL's Better Deckbuilding: Akuta, Born of Ash

Though we took a slight sidestep in the last installment of Better Deckbuilding, we're back on the mono-colored track today with my other mono-black deck- Akuta, Born of Ash!

WHY AKUTA? 

At first, I thought the Commander for this deck was original Ob Nixilis, as I wanted a land-based theme for the design.

Upon playtesting even just a basic list, I realized it wasn't going to be very successful, so I went back to the drawing board.

For those long-time Zoners, you might recall that Akuta's a card I ranked favorably back when I did the top 20 lists for mono-colored commanders. Haste seemed so favorable, and while losing a Swamp sounds rough, trading a land in the late game for another creature post Wrath is unique and opportunistic.

THE STRATEGY

A few days were spent brainstorming the concepts for creating ways to make Akuta valuable. As an aggressive card, the instinct to play Aggro felt fine, especially in a color with access to other resilient, graveyard resilient creatures and sacrifice outlets to make them more valuable in combat.

Normally, this strategy in Commander can get burnt out on cards if you aren't careful. Fortunately, the obvious cards mono-black likes to play- Phyrexian Arena, Bloodgift Demon, etc. - work well with our deck's goals. Not only do we want to be able to dig Akuta out of the bin, but we also want to be drawing into a lot of stuff so we don't run out of gas.

And because we're drawing a lot of cards, we're hopefully drawing enough land to make drops every turn, supporting our Commander's ability every turn, but only to be used when necessary.

Put together with a few other nice tricks, this allows us to put a lot of pressure on an opponent in 1v1, as well as give us a backup sacrifice engine when the game stalls out.

THE TECH

The biggest piece of tech for Akuta is Nightmare Lash, Lashwrithe, and/or Strata Scythe. Any combination of this equipment turns the game on its head pretty quickly. The optimal plan is to get Akuta, a creature, equip each one with our little land-powered equipment package, and swing for the game.

While the value might go down a land or two depending on how much removal our opponents have, there are enough Swamps in the deck to make these powerful options in the late stages of the game.

Being able to hold these up and play them with tempo in the mid-to-late stages of a game has been this deck's recipe for success so far.

One of the design gimmicks for this deck is that I don't play any dedicated reanimate spells. Really, this isn't something I'd recommend other people doing if they want to make this deck, and they want to make it good, but the Reanimate suite is something I played in Greel, and I was interested in carving out a different way of doing the same thing, even if we're just splitting hairs.

The deck has access to several cool, budget-friendly Gravedigger effects- Cadaver Imp, Grim Harvest, and Phyrexian Reclamation.

While Greel and Akuta want to pay a lot of life in their quests to draw cards and emerge victorious, Akuta actually burns through life at a higher rate because of cards like this and paying equip costs on Nightmare Lash.

As a result, Phyrexian Reclamation and these other life-cost cards have to be used with a lot of descretion and tact. Sometimes we're paying 2 life for Cadaver Imp, even if what we really want is Soul of Innistrad, or even Akuta.

Anyone who plays Pauper or played during Kamigawa will tell you Okiba-Gang is a house.

GG used to play this 60 card U/B casual deck centered around Dimir Infiltrator and Okiba-Gang beats.

Here in Akuta, I've channeled the spirit of that design by adding Tormented Soul, but really, any time you can get ahead of your opponents on the creature count, and attack, Okiba-Gang is dangerous.

In the early game, this card is a lot more difficult to see. Later on, Okiba-Gang becomes a nice way to put your opponent into top-deck mode, effectively being able to outdraw them, and once again ensure you'll have the Akuta graveyard option next upkeep.

For long time Magic players who remember when this card came out, it's probably a choice that isn't "tech" and is therefore boring.

However, this card is a dangerous choice based on what I've talked about earlier. When your life total is a resource, using it this way seems a little counterintuitive. Even with access to Lashwrithe and Nightmare Lash, Recurrable Crypt Rats is rough, but powerful- particularly when our opponent(s) may want to play pillowfort and stall.

Still, getting Demon or the Rats equipped with our Plan A Nightmare Lash/Lashwrithe is a sweet deal. Not only do they become effective board sweepers, but they can then attack for more value.

Much like the Edric decks, Akuta wants some cheap creatures that can turn sideways for certain damage.

Dauthi Horror is both my creepiest looking option, and one of the best, next to the aforementioned Tormented Soul.

Either one of them can pick up our equipment and get 5-8 extra points of damage in with no fuss.

Even cooler is the fact that all of those white shadow creatures people might play can't do much to our guy. Short of a Looter il-Kor, I can't think of much else Dauthi Horror has to worry about getting in his way.

There's a lot of neat stuff in this deck, but the last card I'll talk about is Infernal Tribute.

This is a card I haven't seen a whole lot of on the internet, and I'd like to make its presence known. Really, it's just a color-dedicated Carnage Altar, even in this deck- but it can do more.

Infernal Tribute also helps to protect your other permanents, which may also protect you. More than once I've been able to sacrifice Phyrexian Arena or Dark Tutelage to avoid dying to my own draw engines. Not to mention it's a devotion monster!


Here's the list. Check it out.
Uncle Landdrops' Akuta, Born of Ash EDH

Until next time, remember only to let the penitent man pass.
-UL

In General: Thoughts on the New MtGO

Hello and welcome to In General. I am your host Grandpa Growth. In General deals with broader topics, just about anything at all relating to Magic the Gathering. Today I am going to share some of my thoughts on the new MtGO client.

I realize this was a hot topic about a month ago, so some might consider me late to the party. I intentionally stopped using modo for a couple weeks prior to the update and didn't start picking it back up again until very recently. So if you have been wondering where Ill-Gotten Games has gone it will be back soon! An entirely new season with Commander gameplay, drafts, Momir Basic, and Pauper for sure. If you have a format or deck that you want me to play, make sure to let me know.

I talked last week about how I am a late adopter of new technology. In this case, it was for a good reason. I tend not to buy new games or download new software right when it comes out because there are bound to be issues with launching any new product. Luckily, the new MtGO client only had some minor hiccups. Wizards didn't even fumble the roll out! This flashy new edition is surely an upgrade and does actually fix a lot of the problems that existed in the previous iteration of Magic Online. That being said, it isn't without its problems. Let's go through some of the outstanding issues.

1. Performance and Latency

I was sincerely hoping that the new client would feature a substantial increase in performance. Now I know that for some people, they never experienced any issues, even with the previous version. However, I know that for the majority of users, MtGO was just what happened between the crashes. The program itself was not optimized very well, it monopolized much more of your computer's hardware power than was really necessary. This lead to slow performance, frequent lag, and disconnections. We all remember the more recent server crashes that sent a premier events the way of the dodo.

It was my hope, and the hope of the game's development team, that the new client would directly address these issues and solve them outright. As far as the tournament cues, the issues seem to be mostly resolved. However, even in the casual rooms, the time it takes for the client to register the click of a mouse is uncomfortably high. If my pc can handle high frame rates for modern shooters, MtGO should look and feel seamless at all points.

2. Classifieds and Trade Screens

The only thing that has changed about the trade screens is the look. Pure aesthetics. I don't know how long you have spent trolling through the dregs of the bot farms, but I was really hoping it would get simplified. Nowadays, you can just input what format you want to play, what deck you want to use, and poof! The client magically hooks you up with the first available person who also wants to play that format. This change had been a long time coming, and frankly should have been introduced years. But why can't it be that way for trades?

There are already good models for what this software looks like. Have you ever bought something online? Amazon, Autotrader, Channelfireball, they all have a more advanced search and matching feature. If I want to buy a Daze, why can't I just search Daze and have the classified page send me back every user in the trade room at that moment who has at least one copy of that card available for trade. Further refinements could include: only people trading play sets, sorting by prices, or a variety of other factors. Why do we not have this?

3. Deckbuilding Screens

Much has been made of how the collection screens have been reorganized and there are claims that the whole system is more responsive and moves much faster. I have experienced a noticeable increase in the performance of the client on these screens, at least when compared to older versions. My complaint about this is the exact opposite of number two above. The advances in form have not followed those of the function.

They changed the nuts and bolts. They changed the buttons, and the functions, and the flow of how you work through the system. The WAY that you build and organize your decks has changed fundamentally. The process has been streamlined.

However, it LOOKS almost exactly the same. The subscreens where you assemble your deck, sideboard, and when you are browsing through you collection are nearly identical. The screens are still far too small. You can rarely work with your entire deck. You need to scroll side-to-side or shrink down the other windows in order to manipulate and see your entire deck at once. In fact, this new version of modo has even more little windows clogging up the screen. This was already a problem before and I felt we rightly deserved a solution. Instead, we got punished. The good Worth Wollpert giveth...and taketh away.

Well, that's all for today. Thankfully. What are your thoughts on the new MtGO? Is it better, worse, or somewhere in the middle? Leave your comments below and let us know what you think. As promised IGG will return soon and, as always, I will be back next week with another In General.

-GG

In General: Pet Cards for Sale

Sunday. Again. That means another In General with me, Grandpa Growth. As mentioned in last week's article, I had an article prepared for the week I had missed, but was never able to post it. AND THEN, when I was finally able to post it last week, I had other important things that I wanted to talk about instead. I know that this isn't a very attractive setup for an unsolicited advice article (spoiler: that's what this is going to be), but this advice is timeless...and therefore not time sensitive. So that explains why I bumped it in favor of current events. Anyway, here is the article in all of it's original, previously un-posted glory:

Life is change. It is a constant stream of alterations. Things flow from new to old, sometimes faster or slower than we would like, but it always happens. Some people embrace the change. they always seem to have something new to show you or maybe they just can't stick with any one thing for very long. There are others who are resistant to change; the late adopters. I am in that category. I hardly have a working cell phone. I have half a dozen Commander decks that have gone more than two years without a significant update. Just a few cards here and there, but I would never give them up for some new-fangled card that just got printed.

I am so behind the curve that I am doing a spring cleaning article in August. That's how it goes. You can put it off till tomorrow, but eventually you have to clean out the old card box. This is a story about me. How I am doing new things in my life. New location, new job, and now I am going to make my Commander decks follow suit. Starting cards I really need to stop playing.

Oh boy. This one has been a long time coming. Disk was the original reset button. When I started getting heavy into EDH it seemed like the perfect answer to a multiplayer board. And it was...at least for a while. Planeswalkers gave the game a new direction and a new dimension. Disk doesn't make any mention of them, so the people who brought p-dubs to play could make great use of this a semi-one-sided board sweeper.

Nowadays planeswalkers rule every part of the game. It is a bit of a stretch to imagine a board that needs clearing, but doesn't involve a planeswalker. With so many of them running around in Commander, it just isn't sufficient to have a board sweeper that doesn't get rid of them anymore. Fortunately, there are other options..some of which I have been playing, some of which I should have started playing years ago.


You see, Nevinyrral's Disk was a pet card of mine. I liked it. It WAS good, but I clung to it for long after it had been outclassed by newer technology. This is a huge problem for people who want to get the most out of their game. Card choices are critical in competitive Magic. You can't be beholden to something that doesn't produce results. That is the fast track to losing games. Worse even, that is classic scrub behavior. And you know I won't abide a scrub.

So I had to change, but how? Do I just trade it in for an Oblivion Stone and call it a day? No. The key is to start listening to those people you have been ignoring. Every time someone suggestively asked me why I played this card, I would write them off or give a witty quip about how it was clearing boards before they even bought their first booster. As if, Disk had EARNED a place just by being the original. There is no grandfather clause in strategy games. Adapting to new challenges is the CORE DYNAMIC of the game.

I should have been taking their advice. Looking more objectively at my card choices. They might have been right when I first built the deck years ago, but I never bothered to go back and re-evaluate those decisions. Self-monitoring is a key piece of being a good strategist, heck it's part of being a good human being.

So that's my Twoo sense. Instead of building a whole new deck every week, go back and take a look at just a couple of cards. Think deeply about them and the reasons you picked them. Were those choices meaningful? Are they indicative of a great theme; do you consistently make these choices without giving it a second thought?

As Forrest Gump said, "Aaand that's about all I have to say about that."

Til next week Zoners.

-GG

Common/Uncommon Sense #2: Common Creatures of the Chromatic

Heya Zoners!

Much Thanks for making the first installment of the series a sizable hit.

This week, I'm back with 5 budget creatures I hope you'll like just as well.

Benevolent Bodyguard

We'll kick things off with a little rattlesnake protection dude I'm trying out. Clearly never going to be Mother of Runes, but can be a nice one-hitter when Mom's not around. In White, this a cool card because it fits into the Ranger of Eos package and increases his value in combat with Sun Titan. Getting consistent play out of a mono-White deck is never an easy task.

Bodyguard isn't going to like being Wrathed, but if you play against Blasphemous Act, it eats this card for breakfast, then dies. Also, if you play other Instant-speed tricks, having one out in the open on the battlefield is a good distraction.

Krovikan Sorcerer

This is a card I loved to get early on in Dromar. Reliable card draw coupled with black spells I didn't mind pitching meant I was going to maximize efficiency, and more often than not, led to several games I won.

Though it is only Blue in total color identity, don't waste your time putting it in anything that isn't U/B or an additional color.

Sigiled Skink

I saw this card in action at Prerelease and decided that a cheap, aggressive, value-seeking creature like this belonged at the low end of the curve in Animar. So far I've been pleased. It's a nice card that wants to attack, and even if you just get one scry trigger, he's already more than paid for himself. Definitely a card that wants to be attacking in the horde of creatures, as it is less likely to be getting blocked in favor of Animar or a bigger creature.

Probably not as good or interchangeable with Academy Raider, but I'm a sucker for deadly looking desert Lizards.

Mold Shambler

Fact: There is little unknown to the general Magic-playing population when it comes to underrepresented green creatures. Still, I find that even I tend to forget we have a great budget partner for Acidic Slime. In fact, Mold Shambler could even become more useful than Acidic Slime in the fight to stop planeswalkers as well as decks that want to spread out and turn sideways. Because it has a little more P/T and a little less deathtouch, Shambler's another creature that can go unblocked if you've got a decent threat on the table and contribute to you directly to the bottom line.

Phyrexian Rager

My last nugget of tech for today is Phyrexian Rager.

Unlike other ETB creatures in the color pie, Black as a color doesn't have a whole lot going on for it before Turn 4, generally speaking. In fact, short of Brain Maggot, its previous incarnation Mesmeric Fiend, Liliana's Specter, and a Fleshbag Marauder, there isn't a whole lot of EDH playable options that create early value.

Rager is an early investment that has the potential for abuse because of Black's penchant for Reanimate and Disentomb style effects. I like it because Rager almost always ensures I'm going to get to the 4th land drop in black, which is crucial because of the acceleration that occurs for the color at the next turn.

I also like it because it gives my opponents a nutty reason not to attack early on. In multiplayer, attacking is swayed pretty easily in the early stages by simply scanning to find out who doesn't have a creature. So Rager, along side other TGZ previously mentioned cards like Moriok Replica, do have a lot of value if you haven't tutored for Phyrexian Arena yet.

Pass Turn.
-UL

In General: Something old, something new, something borrowed, something Blue. And no, this is not a wedding announcement.

I hope you are enjoying your weekend. I know I am. I am Grandpa Growth. This column is In General, where we talk about basically anything at least loosely related to the game of Magic.

Many of you may be asking: "Grandpa, where were you last week? Are you, in fact, dead?" No, loyal reader, I am not. I missed my first posting in two years. A record which I held firmly for many months and, based on the work ethic of these other characters on the blog, one that will stand in monolithic infamy.

I have been moving. And while I had an article planned for last week, I did not have the internet access that is so critically important to being an internet author. Now I am back though, so prepare yourself.

Although a lot has happened in my personal life over the last two weeks, even more has happened in the Magic world. There was a Pro Tour. An awesome and exciting tournament to celebrate the release of a set which is also both of those things. In light of that I am going to be pushing that previous article in favor of one that relates specifically to current events.

I want to focus on one particular bit of  news from the weekend: spoilers. With preview cards from Khans of Tarkir, Speed vs. Cunning, and of course Commander 2014, there is a ton of new stuff. Obviously, I don't care much about the Duel Decks series, since those are all collectors edition reprints of cards I already own and usually don't play. What is important to the content of this blog is Commander.

The Commander 2014 product is going to be a similar to the previous installments, but it will be mono color pre-constructed decks. This is awesome news to people who like the format, because we have already seen the wedge colors and shard colors get the full Wizards treatment. However, it is bittersweet for those of us who have been fans of Wizard's official Commander products...

It gets me thinking, what could the next hook be? We have seen all combinations of three colors and are now going to see the single color edition. What is left to do? I am going to rule out the possibility of a five color or four color deck release because, even if they do this at some point, it will just be a shallow cash grab and is unlikely to contribute to the format in a way which is significant AND positive.

There is a definitely possibility of two color decks, but that feels obvious even to me and I would like to think that they have a team of professionals who can be more creative than just one man.

For now though, we got a super sweet spoiler. Check this out:

Let's address some obvious concerns.

• The +1 is very similar to the latest iteration of Jace (just better), however that doesn't really matter because they are never going to appear in the same deck. Teferi isn't going to be Standard legal and Jace the Living Guildpact is so weak it won't get played in Commander. 
• It is indeed strange that Wizards decided to print a card specifically meant for use as a Commander, especially when it would break the normal rules for doing so. I don't think THIS CARD is a problem. It won't upset the format. However, the fact that Wizards thinks it can and should print cards specifically for use in Commander and no other format rubs me the wrong way. They didn't make it, they don't need to act like you're helping when you aren't.
• Speaking of not upsetting the format, this card really isn't very powerful. The ultimate is something that we have all dreamed about before, but it is definitely not going to win you the game on the spot. Something that a six mana planeswalker absolutely should be able to do. So that is one crucial benchmark failed. It also has no way to protect itself from removal or attackers. That is two down. The third and final check: does it generate value while ticking up, is a huge yes. The -1 definitely has potential to let you go big on certain boards, but I would imagine that, at this price tag, you should be expecting some serious competition.
• My final question is one of time. A tricky subject for a character that we know has traveled through it. I have heard tell that this is supposed to represent Teferi before he lost his spark repairing Dominaria. What I want to know is, how can we decipher the timeline? How do we know what events happened when? Are major set releases now coming out in chronological order? There seems to be a story, but it never seems to last long. We know how the Chandra, Jace, Gideon, Nissa storyline goes, and where it stands now. We know that Liliana, Garruk, and Sorin interacted during Innistrad block. Also that Sorin was present on Zendikar at some point. So if we ask him maybe we will be able to piece everything together.

Well that is all for today. Did you enjoy the Pro Tour? Excited for the new spoilers? Let us know what you liked most in the comments and tell us what you want to see next!

-GG

UL's Better Deckbuilding: Isperia's Winged Toolbox

Heya Zoners!

Better Deckbuilding returns with another neat little brew I've been toying around with- Isperia, and her fair-feathered flying friends.

WHY ISPERIA?

I built an Isperia deck dedicated to the kind of cutthroat card playing required back in the days when I battled Grandpa Growth every other day. The deck featured a heavy Isochron package and as many Instants 2 or lower that I could cram into it. Coupled with big flying threats and a handful of ugly ol' staples, the deck played didn't play well because it required serious precision, and I ended up taking it apart.

Several months ago I had the bright idea to get Isperia back into a deck again, where it was the best part of a Treva deck that wasn't going to work. And with Daxos around, Isperia was going to have to go back to the bench.

She sat there until a month or so ago when I decided I wanted to make a "more fun" update with a little bit better design. With a few lingering mechanics on my mind, I found a nice way to combine them with Isperia to make a very resilient "Training Wheels" style deck that I could bring out against new players and the more experienced folks at the table.

THE STRATEGY

There's not a whole lot we have to cover to get to what Isperia can do.While the free flyer is dependent on the information you know about someone's hand, both are dependent on actually getting the damage through.

Fortunately for us, there is a way to get more birds with one metaphorical "stone"- we bring the bounce spells and all their friends. Coupling these with an aggressively costed creature base driven by evasion and ETB effects, Isperia has the capacity to create an excellent interactive engine that can be a handful to deal with.

THE TECH

Unsummon and Vapor Snag are definitely more superior cards to Peel From Reality, but there is inherent value to be found in creating 2-for-1 opportunities with this in EDH. Just let your opponents try to point removal at your stuff to get damage through. Barring some hexproof/shroud, or split-second, this little piece of Pauper magic is a bit of a wunderkind for any blink/bounce-driven deck. Even better is the fact that we have a little bit of redundancy with access to Withdraw, Curfew, and Aether Tradewinds, the latter with a little more versatility in terms of legal targets.

I mentioned this a couple weeks ago in the re-vamped version of Spin It Into Myth, and this is where one of my copies found a great home.

Even though Clairvoyance, Gitaxian Probe, and Peek all replace themselves as a card in your hand, the inherent advantage of Urza's Specs is that you can plan around people's stuff. And if you sneak it into the game early on, the value is nuts- specifically in multiplayer. Even without a mana investment in its cost to activate, there's not really a need to see one extra card your opponent might draw every turn. However, in a multiplayer matchup, this could be activated every turn targeting a different player.

Most of the time, this is going to do wonders in calling an opponent's bluff. Just remember to keep track of everything your opponent has, especially creatures, lands, and sorceries, which are less likely to be cast on your turn when you're trying to get an Isperia trigger.

While I don't run Trinket Mage because he doesn't fly, I found that Talas Explorer and Ingenious Thief were solid replacements if I couldn't find Urza's Glasses. Coupled with the blink'n'bounce spells, they can be utilized more than once.

One of the more casual cards I played in Daxos was this piece of chaff, Sawtooth Loon. It was good because I needed card draw, but it also wasn't good because, well...you see what it does.

However, I found out during playtests with Isperia that Restoration Angel and Sawtooth Loon are a disgustingly great card advantage engine. Not only does it make Resto economically profitable, Sawtooth Loon helps to create massive amounts of looting to help me get ahead. And because the cards go back into my library, I have no problems tucking creatures back in for Isperia to find later.

Archon of Redemption is a pretty cool card that will enjoy the Magical Christmas Land from our engine above.

Even without it though- our deck does really well for itself with Archon of Redemption. There's always creatures getting flicked and bounced around, and most of them don't have enough of a life total to arouse suspicion.

Additionally, this is a card I enjoy particularly because it was a mainstay back when I played kitchen table 60-card. Several of my friends bought the white preconstructed Worldwake deck, and abused our Archonic friend's ability by casting as many Sphinx of Jwar Isle as they could draw.

Lyev Skyknight has been a cool addition for several reasons. Number one, he's low on the mana curve, which is great when we want to re-cast creatures we may have to bounce. Two, he's got an aggressive 3/1 body, which is nice when you look at the deck and notice that we need to be able to get as much damage as we can get.

Finally, he's one of the few detainees who can hit nonland permanents. Though a majority of the time, he will be hitting creatures to time lock our opponents and get in with Isperia for extra damage and another creature. It's just nice value at a budget price.

Now, I've already talked about Resolute Archangel in terms of M15- but that was before I got to see it in action.

My prediction is that, much like a Ron Burgundy News Team Battle Royale, this will get out of hand very quickly. Tutoring for it with Isperia is particularly strong, even without blink effects.

Combining this with Deadeye Navigator also makes it impossible to win. Short of Commander Damage, milling, or a huge 50+ power Overrun, beating this card is going to be tough. Much like the cards the EDHRC has banned because they "take over the game," I have a feeling Resolute Archangel is definitely in the danger zone. And if they could ban Sylvan Primordial, this could go too.

I am very curious to hear what people think about this card in terms of its ban-ability. Here's the Isperia list: Isperia the Inscrutable

Your comments and +1s are always appreciated.

Pass Turn!
-UL