Khans of Tarkir Set Review: Answers

Welcome back to The General Zone's Review of Khans of Tarkir! This is the third installment, so make you take a look at the previous segments here: Threats, Legends.

In today's segment we will be discussing answers. Answers are something you use to stop an opposing threat. These can take many forms and often serve multiple roles depending on what types of cards they are meant to answer. They can also differ in what stage of the game or game zone they work in. Counterspells, removal, discard, land destruction, hate bears, niche sideboard cards, etc. Many cards fit into this category and an explanation of what they are meant to answer is critical in evaluating them.

Today we will begin...at the end. Of hostilities. Putting aside the mechanics of this card for a moment, I'd like to discuss the questionable flavor of such a card. Is it smart to release a card representing the end of hostilities at the BEGINNING of a block? I am going to have to assume that all hostilities pictured in the art of Khan's cards came BEFORE this event is meant to take place. I fully expect that both of the coming expansions in this block will feature ABSOLUTELY NO references, direct or indirect, to violence or conflict of any kind. That is going to be a particularly boring twist being that Wizards billed this entire block on the idea that there are five factions constantly vying for dominance. The battles are not just physical contests of violence, but also ideological campaigns for sovereignty. I guess we can all be disappointed together that we won't get to see that awesome crusade take place, after all, it already ended. Right here. Do you think I am reading too much into it? OR AM I?!


This card is 100% worse than both Oblivion Ring and Journey to Nowhere. In fact, it is at the bottom of my list for White removal cards. Even if you insist on having Enchantments to support some silly 'theme' you wouldn't want this. There is so much premium White removal available that you needn't even bother.










You can now Spelljack in Creature form. This probably isn't that exciting to most players, but Spelljack happens to be a personal favorite card of mine. The mechanics of exactly how you cast the card have been updated and improved, which is nice. The attachment of a modest body is also an excellent bonus and I think that is the key to evaluating this card. Counterspells, even expensive flashy ones, are good in the format. That much we know. The question is whether or not you can make the 3/3 generate some value. That means equipment, protection, and hopefully someway to turn it face down again. Even without the surprise factor, your opponent will still have to grind through a second Spelljack in order to regain parity in the game. That is a tall order, especially when a single removal spell isn't going to cut it.



We have seen many uncommons like this before. They are reasonably priced and serve to expand the available archetypes in the limited environment although most of the time they aren't even good enough for draft. In some cases, like Astral Slide, they can make a spectacular leap to constructed. I think that this card has that potential. An aggressive deck is going to need to have an extremely fast fundamental turn to overcome this kind of road block. Regardless of how effective it proves to be in Standard, it will certainly be USABLE in EDH. Things just take longer to get moving and boards are much more likely to build vertically than in other formats. That makes Commander the ideal environment to foster a tempo engine like this.

I have already given significant consideration to many sketchy looking Delve cards. The reality is that if a card becomes cheap enough, it doesn't really matter what it does. Delve directly lowers the cost of the card, so things can get very close to free under the right circumstances. All Delve cards are somewhat irritating to draw in your opening hand, but decks with a fetchland mana base, good numbers of ramp spells or Cyclers, mill mechanics, or just enough Creatures getting killed can easily power out quick Delve spells.

I am going to say that this card is pretty strong. The comparison that makes me think that is Submerge. Submerge is circumstantially free. This is generally cheap, but always costs something. Set Adrift however can nail any nonland permanent, which is a huge bonus. Commander features many types of problematic permanents that need to be answered. Set Adrift is not an Instant though, which definitely hurts. I will try it out, but I don't expect it to permanently replace anything I already play. It is very close though.



This card seems awesome. It is an edict effect, but it constrains your opponents' choices. That means you are almost always going to get a high value Creature from each player. The bonus damage isn't incredibly exciting, but it isn't nothing. This is quality removal with built in card advantage. If you aren't down with that, we just can't get along. The casting cost is going to get you bent into knots, but if you are one of the oddballs who are still playing Kaalia of the Vast or Oros the Avenger then you just got an early Christmas present.

End Hostilities, part two. Why this set needs so many board sweepers, I have no idea. This is expensive, slow, and color intensive, but what do you get for all that? Not that much really. Having the only threat on the board means that you are probably just the biggest target added on top of the fact that you just burned a bunch of bridges by killing other peoples stuff. On average, Phyrexian Rebirth is going to leave you in a less favorable spot, but it is DRAMATICALLY easier to cast. The specificity of the color requirements on this card means that only a tiny sliver of the metagame can even sleeve it up. When you see this color combination, expect to see this card. But alas, I don't expect anyone to be changing their commander just to include this.



Rakdos's Return showed us just how powerful it can be to incidentally kill an opposing planeswalker. That lesson carries over here, but in a much less powerful shell. A soft counter, while surely playable, is less exciting than a Mind Shatter.

I enjoy crossovers just as much as the next human, but I don't think it is appropriate to depict Lord Helmet from Spaceballs without crediting the original source.





I like it when R&D endeavors to explore NEW mechanical ground, rather than just delivering us a tired rehash of mechanics that previously didn't meet sales quotas. I think it is awesome to have a card that can 'unblock' a guy and I am particularly excited that it gets to be a removal spell. The question then, is whether or not any deck in the format currently wants this. My answer is no. Unless you consider Jor Kadeen a deck.







I like counterspells more than just about anyone. I don't really mind if they are expensive or flashy or what have you. This however, is kind of pushing it. It costs more than it should, it is more color intensive than it should be, and its upside is hardly exciting. I would understand this card if it only cost GU. That would be fine and dandy. But a situational counter that costs three of three colors? Why bother?

The answer to the implicit question in the flavor text is Krabby Patties, which as we all know, are good for the soul.

It took more than ten years, but we finally have a truly Instant speed version of Vindicate. The modern equivalent comes with a couple of back breaking riders though. First, it is too expensive. Why? I have no idea. Maelstrom Pulse didn't exactly break the game, despite being substantially more powerful than this card. Secondly, it, like is so common with current templating standards, cannot hit lands. Again, I don't know why Wizards finds this characteristic to be so important, but it is the reality of the game these days.

After all that, what we are left with is a withered husk. The obvious nostalgia bait is dangling in front of us, but it lacks the power and playability of its predecessors.

Well, there you have it. That is all I have to say for these cards. Generally an unexciting mess, but what this set lacks in quality answers it more than makes up for in other areas.

What do you think of the set so far? Are we adequately answering your calls for pop culture references? Make sure to check back on Sunday when we post the last segment of the review covering utility cards, mana producers, and everything that we missed.
-GG