(Bringin' It) Back From The Brink #5: The Fifth Dawn "Bacon"

Welcome back to (Bringin' It) Back Zoners!

Since it's been a long time since our last installment, and we've spent last week reviewing Theros' descending block Journey Into Nyx, I thought it'd be good to do a quick review of my retro-cyle review.

Today's cycle is one of my favorites- The Fifth Dawn Beacon cycle, which I affectionately call the "Bacon." Mostly it's out of my knack for lazy slang and wanting to fit square jokes into round board states, but the fact of the matter is, most of the cards in this cycle really can bring it home. And by it, I mean, "the bacon." 

So if you like bacon (which, I don't know anyone other than annoying left-winged protest vegetarians who doesn't), then this might also be the cycle for you. Let's bring it back now. 

Beginning at the stroke of midnight on our color pie clock, we've got "Bacon of Immortality."

This is one I know GG and I both really like. For starters, it's our favorite card type. Being an Instant means this is something control players and aggro players facing early hate can really get behind. The power scale for this in EDH is pretty incredible, and I find that it's castable basically until your life dips below 15.

Life gain is a subtle, underrated part of Commander. Only since the beginning of Oloro's do-nothing-but-get-life reign have players begun to understand how manipulating the value of this resource can change the game.

Although it isn't going to get you out of a hole against dedicated Voltron decks, there are some Commander players who don't play the 21-and-done rule. In that variant it's a house. In your average game, it's still pretty good. 

Beacon of Tomorrows is definitely in the Top 2 of this cycle, both in popularity and playability. Everyone loves extra turns, and with Omniscience and Enter the Infinite, it's even more infinite.

Still, Eight is a hefty cost. I find that unlike Time Warp or Stretch, this Beacon really relies on a lot more setup in the turns leading up to casting it. Chances are you probably want to have mana open when you cast it, or enough stuff to do damage and generate tempo so that it's worthwhile. That's not unlike these other Warp spells, but the problem with this is that it isn't as likely to be cast for free without the aforementioned goodies I talked about. 

For me, Beacon of Unrest is the ace in this cycle, and it's not even close.

Although it's sorcery-slow, the value it reaps off of other cards in your deck and your opponent's is enormous. Unlike Ashen Powder or some of the other black reanimator spells, it doesn't just target a specific graveyard, and it's liable to be cast multiple times in a game. This ability has actually saved me from milling myself out, which has happened with frightening frequency over the past couple years.

There's not many bad things I can say about this Beacon. It's truly a powerful card in our format, and it has several of the qualities I look for when I'm trying to build decks and play cards.

And now for possibly the worst of the set.

I haven't played this one, but I've considered it. I play Red Sun's Zenith in Heartless Hidetsugu, and it is excellent.

The problem with this card is that that it's a product of both the pre-Commander era and "fairness."

Five damage for 5 at instant speed is just a little too basic, and it doesn't hit the primary threats in the format- the Titan archetype, a 6/6 for six.

Would it be unfair if it was 6 damage for five? Probably. In 20 life formats, that doesn't compute well with the even-keel design and players. We already have a designated "Bolt Range." This might have been taking it too far.

So Beacon of Destruction is sort of a product of itself, and at a design impasse where R&D has consistently stood on the conservative side of the room, avoiding the firestorm, which is fine, if they believe that the game they design is fair. 

Our last one has me befuddled as well. Combined with its aggressive cost (versus the other pieces of Bacon in this cycle), the ability of BoC to scale to the game makes it much more playable in mono-Green Commander. Azusa and Omnath both can quickly turn this into incredible power, and when combined with Doubling Season and Primal Vigor, well the number of Insects can, "go to Jupiter and get more stupider." 

I like BoC, but I've cut it from a lot of my decks, so I can see why it might be a hair above Beacon of Destruction. 

Still, this is a lot of tokens to Skullclamp. 

That's all I've got for now. Be sure to share your thoughts on these in the comments below, and if you haven't played them, save them from being extinct- BRING THEM BACK FROM THE BRINK!

Pass. 

-UL 

(Bringin' It) Back From The Brink #4: Dark Ascension's Increasing Cycle

Welcome back to TGZ for your favorite Retro Cycle Review, Zoners.

Today's travels take us to the not too distant gothic horror block Innistrad, as we get another look at one of the all-around most playable set of spells Magic has made for EDH to date: the cycle of "Increasing" cards. There's a lot to like and not a lot of time to waste, so let's get to it.

Increasing Confusion

We'll start simple and easy. While most blue cards are in the Top 2 of their little cycles, Increasing Confusion is probably the most middling.

Grandpa Growth talks a lot about the ineffectiveness of milling in Commander, mostly because it gives players more space to work with instead of less. That's probably the biggest fault of the mechanic though, and not necessarily this card.

In its own arena of niche-y mill spells, Increasing Confusion is right up there with Traumatize and Mind Grind. The Flashback bonus because of the card's innate ability is also very strong.

One of the neat little qualities about Increasing Confusion that I see people often do is pay U to mill zero, then U and 13 to mill for 26 in the later stages of games. I'm not sure that's the best way to play the card, but it is a neat trick if you're milling and trying to get the game over with. Planning ahead is really key with this card, and the best way to get ahead early, mill 5 or 6, and then go in for a big one later.

In ranking them, I think this is probably the actual middle of the cycle. But it does have my favorite art. It fits the theme of blue, the theme of this card, and frankly, I just like seeing books and scrolls flying all over the place. It might just be the only reason worth watching the 1994 Macaulay Culkin/Christopher Lloyd film, The Pagemaster.

Increasing Devotion

Conversely, one of the biggest issues I have with Increasing Devotion is the color scheme in the art.

Flavor-wise, it makes sense. People are trying to believe in Avacyn, and the hope she'll be back. So more followers followed by MORE followers makes a world of sense.

What doesn't is why the swords and gloves of the people around this gray statue of Avacyn seem to be as stiff as Avacyn. Were these men not gloved, I might at least get the sense that these were living human beings, and not just parts to a bigger statue of a bunch of men around Avacyn. I know it's picky and weird, but think about that famous Iwo Jima memorial where all the men are raising the American flag together. This could very well be that, but we're not mind readers. A little more clarity would've gone a long way, if you care about art.

As far as the spell itself, it's not terrible. I've played this card in several decks, and find it to be the premier version of Zendikar's Conqueror's Pledge. The fact that it's sorcery speed isn't doing anyone favors, but if you like feeding cards to Skullclamp and you play white, this could be the card you're looking for. Overall, I find it to be right below Increasing Confusion in this cycle. It just doesn't put up enough firepower until it's too late.

Increasing Vengeance

If Mono-Red were real, than I think Increasing Vengeance might have a chance.

This card is number 2 in its own cycle, but it's actually lower on the totem pole in terms of Fork/Reverberate effects. This is because it can only copy spells you have, which is a huge bummer. If it didn't, this card just might be snapped.

Still, it's an instant, and one that is useable in the right decks. A couple friends of mine have found great homes for this little red puppy in Lu Bu Trick Voltron and a Jeleva Creatureless deck, so I'm sure there's plenty of value to be found. It just takes effort, which isn't what people want to do if they're more interested in playing Magic than the enchanting and sometimes depressing process of deckbuilding, like me.

Verdict on the art is that it would be a lot better if the flames didn't look like orange beams of snot. The art theme along Innistrad really had a crisp, gritty-ness to it, which can be totally got when you look at the spellcaster and the fence he seems to be standing on. Unfortunately, I'm just too afraid of catching the world's most ironic cold by looking at the rest of it.

Increasing Savagery

Well, here's the rock bottom of the cycle. Fortunately, it isn't the rock bottom of the typical Magic cycle.

Unlike Scourge's Decree of Savagery, it's more recent allusion did not get the benefit of Instant speed. Again, that might just be too good.

Still, that doesn't mean it's altogether irrelevant. I'll admit that it's definitely a build-around-me card, that's in need of a serious +1/+1 counter value theme, but I think it can be done. These days there are plenty of Hexproof and Regenerate-able green creatures around. And if they aren't what you're looking for, there's always Mycoloth. There's always Marath. There's always Vorel.

Increasing Savagery has surely gotten better in the last year, but I'm still going to stand behind GG's assessment from a bygone discussion that Sorcery speed pushes this card to the brink of getting consistent work.

Art-wise, I have almost the same problem I did with Increasing Devotion. The sense and image feel solid. The monster in the open window really works for me. What doesn't is the weird color choice emanating from light source coming in the corner of the room, when there's clearly an unlit candle right above it. The monster could also appeal to our senses a little more as well.

Overall, Increasing Savagery probably owns the worst combined score of the group. Again, that's not a statement on how bad it is, but just how effective the rest of them are.

Increasing Ambition

I know I'm not the only one that thinks this card is straight up dope.

Splashable, recurrable, scary- these are the things I want when I'm looking for powerful black cards.

With Demonic Tutor now in the realm of expensive, and Vampiric just a tad further, I don't think it's too far of a stretch to say that Increasing Ambition is and has been the new Diabolic Tutor for a while now.

This is mainly because this card can go in EVERY deck with black in its colors, not to mention just about every archetype. Are you looking for a counterspell or removal? Get Ambitious. Are you looking for a combo piece? How about two combo pieces? Get Ambitious. Do you like being terrified by cultists with makeshift Gristlebrand skulls? Get Ambitious.

I think you see my point. Increasing Ambition is a lot better than not increasing it, and it outclasses any and all of the affordable black tutors, even though you're going to probably play them anyway. So go get more than you bargained for.

That's all I have for today. Be sure to check back with me on Saturday when I do something that is once again not The Stack, which I promise will return with a thirst for vengeance and blood next week.

-UL

(Bringin' It) Back From The Brink #3: The Pulse of Darksteel

Happy Tuesday Zoners!

So after a few weeks of doing everything from home remodeling to sipping pina coladas at a swim up bar at a resort in Cancun, your ol' Uncle's back from the brink to bring you an exciting new installment of (Bringin' It) Back From The Brink, my favorite way to talk about Magic's low-key horizontal card cycles.

Today I'm going back to our first tour of Mirrodin to re-visit the Pulse cycle. So let's get started.

PULSE OF THE FIELDS

Right off the bat, we have some serious life gain. If you're familiar with a lot of Cube Drafts and Limited from Mirrodin, this card is basically responsible for turning "Red Deck Wins" into "Red Deck Loses."

In our fun little format though, this is one of the better life white life gain spells. As you'll see with the rest of this cycle, the trick to casting these cards with value will be predicated upon you being behind.

What's nice about Pulse of the Fields is that you can leverage this effectively if you've set yourself up to be the threat early on. Mono-White Darien decks like quick little life gains because they help keep the Soldier factory going and it's not as gigantic of a spell as Beacon of Immortality. Slow and Steady life gain is underrated, particularly when you can keep up mana and use it as an Instant. If it were a Sorcery this would be terrible. Thank goodness it isn't.

PULSE OF THE FORGE

From experience, this card isn't really what you want to be playing in EDH. I tried this out for a while in Hidetsugu, thinking it would be great against Aggro decks that try to attack HH downhill.

It's a bit of a trap. There's not a lot of extra casting that is going to be done if your red deck is playing well, and if you're behind, chances are it isn't enough damage to get you back in the game, even in the late-late.

This is definitely a card that was made for Standard and Limited, and I think it should be left there to shine.

PULSE OF THE TANGLE

Pulse of the Tangle is probably the worst of the cycle. Sorcery speed creature tokens in a color that wants to either ramp or play bigger dudes seems like a better strategy.

That isn't to say this card is terrible. Sorcery speed is particularly crippling, but there is still a little appeal. Decks needing Chump Blockers and Sac Outlets could control their creature count well. Additionally, Rogue Control decks that splash Green could find some appeal too.

Pulse of the Tangle is the sketchiest card to try out of this cycle. It's silly, but there are plenty of deck designs that could benefit from having a creature token maker that is tougher to interact with.

PULSE OF THE DROSS

Pulse of the Dross is probably my favorite of the cycle, but it's a lot worse than it looks. It's not going to single-handedly ruin card draw heavy decks like Niv-Mizzet or Nin, but it will give you consistent disruption and hopefully a little extra information.

One of the different things about this card is that it's easy to defend if your opponent can out draw you and is able to remember the cards they've shown you.

Ideally, this card doesn't really want to be cast over and over again, I don't think. It's best in a place where you and your opponent are almost to top deck mode (around 3-4 cards each), which is a little too specific for my tastes.

I really do with they'd revisited this kind of card in Scars versus the Chancellor cycle.

PULSE OF THE GRID

Last up is the big blue beats. Recurrable Catalog is legitimate, even in a color where card draw is a thing.

Blue decks love cards that provide flexibility and card advantage. At Instant speed, PotG gives any blue deck the opportunity to game manage and dig for answers.

One of the biggest drawbacks to this card is that if you're looking to get too far ahead of your opponent, Pulse's ability prevents you from abusing it.

Still, this card thrives in non-control decks where blue is a splash color and spells are getting played. It is hands down the best Pulse.

The most obscure "V for Vendetta"
Reference I could make. 

Well, that's all we've got today. Tune in Thursday for the return of our resident comboing mad scientist Johnny Confidant as he talks about his design with some of the hot new Commander 2013 tech.

Until then, You Find Your Own Tree.

Happy Guy Fawkes Day. Make sure it's a 5th of November you'll never forget.

-UL

(Bringin' It) Back From The Brink #2: (Potentially) Returning Dragons

Precedent as well as other Magic-Speculators looking ahead at Commander 2013 believe this cycle to be included in each of the five expansions set to come out in early November.

Color me more skeptical on this particular set, but it isn't off base. Wizards likes to combine bang-me-over-the-head obvious inclusions with the scathingly surprising.

I guess that means I won't be surprised if they aren't, and I think that might be a good thing.

All of them except Dromar got new border updates in Wizards specialty products over the past few years.  Darigaaz, Rith, and Treva were part of Duel Decks: Phyrexia vs. the Coalition. Crosis saw new art in the Graveborn Premium Deck, and Rith got this sweet alternate upgrade in FTV:Dragons.

WotC likes to put nostalgia in circulation, and these cards certainly have that kinda quality. Commander was originally based on building around the Elder Dragons after all, and then by extension these guys, and their distant enemy-colored cousins in Time Spiral.

So if they do get printed, you're probably going to favor the shiny newness over the Old Guard, and that's pretty natural for us.

Still, I think there's quite a bit of fun left in these old dragons, and with much of the new tech, I think it's time we tried to get back to our Elder Dragon roots and brought these guys Back From The Brink.

Crosis, the Purger

Discard is strong, but playing
the guessing game and the strength
of his peers really render Crosis Obsolete.
Ranked Third in this cycle, but doesn't
outclass Dromar by much. 

Having Nicol Bolas as your Elder hasn't exactly been great for Crosis, who's just outclassed in Dragon-ness and nostalgia by the most Evil Lord of Evil in Magic. Bolas also has a far superior discard mechanic.

And I know, there are even other, better options in Garza Zol and Thrax if you're trying to get your Grixis on.

Still, Crosis isn't terrible. The 6/6 for six defense will get old in this little review, but he is a little bit better value if you want to have something that's slightly more castable and similar to Bolas.

If you're looking for metagame choices, Crosis is much better than Bolas against mono-colored decks. He comes out a turn or two quicker, which is usually the difference in someone preparing for Bolas and not preparing. His ability can also pressure an opponent to play their spells a little bit earlier than they'll want to, which could give you stuff to counter. Just remember to bring Haste.

Mostly though, I think Crosis is for the folks who like Flying Purple People Eaters and other assorted EDH Hipsters. He's definitely more theme or casual than function, even when he's not a Commander.

Rith, The Awakener

Rith is the best in this cycle.
Has access to two quality strategies:
Tokens, and Commander damage. 

Rith is a deck I saw quite a bit when I first starting playing EDH. He doesn't have a lot of problems in Naya because the options are few and mostly bad. Just ask GG about Hazezon Tamar.

Tokens are an EDH archetype, and Rith's definitely one of the leading leaders in Saproling-making technology.

Moving forward, I see Devotion giving Rith some extra power. I know that sounds strange when you look at his CMC, but if you've ever played against a Rith deck, your opponent basically wants to cast green permanents to match the color of the tokens. If you get an early hit in without anything but Rith on the field, or you're already overrun by your opponent, you might have other choices.

Red and White are mostly support colors. Rhys and Trostani have really taken off as the primary token Commanders, but the big advantage to Rith is that there's a little bit more tempo and versatility that can be created with access to Pyroclasm effects and evasion. Rith is also much more sizeable, which means he can also present lethal Commander damage on the board, using the tokens to chump, whereas the tokens in these other decks really need to swing because their Commander isn't going to get there.

Dromar, the Banisher

Poor Dromar. Maybe someday we'll
have a reason to pull him out of the
clouds and play him. Still manages
a Fourth Place finish in the cycle.

For many, many reasons, Dromar is definitely the one I most pity in this cycle.

If this were the Hundred-Acre Woods, our Esper Dragon here would definitely be "Eeyore." His design doesn't let him get out of his own way, which means he's kind of a mess. To quote my favorite reporter on the street, Mr. Brian Fantana, "Against 60% of the color pie, he will bounce himself every time."

Even worse- he is also severely outclassed by Sharuum, Zur, Merieke, and even Ertai the Corrupted.

That said, I can find a few decent reasons to use him. I like the concept of building around Commanders as a "Safety Valve," or even as a sort of "Poker Face" to confuse your opponent.

Like Crosis, Dromar's a pretty good candidate if you like to go deep. With access to decent control colors, it's probably safe to say that not many creatures are going to find their way on the board. If they do, token decks won't stay very long. Mono-Green decks in general are pretty bad matchups against him. So if you have a Timmy/Ramp style metagame, maybe this is a better option than it looks.

Also, being able to bounce him to your hand for control matchups make him a lot more re-castable than the rest of the cycle. I'm not sure if that's good, but I like to keep costs low and have a good threat at all time. Combined with counters and discard, this could prove to be a grindy way to maintain card advantage into the late-late.

Treva, the Renewer

I'm convinced Treva is worth playing.
The clear Number Two in this cycle,
and makes a strong case against Rith
because of his versatility.

Treva's actually my favorite in this cycle for several reasons.

The most unimportant of these is that I get to call him Falcor, and use my rarely seen and seldomly enjoyed "Neverending Story" comedy routine. Like this one.

Atreyu and Falcor walk into a bar, and sit down. Bartender says, "Hey, the bar's getting ready to close up soon." Atreyu replies, "Don't worry, we won't be here long." They get up and walk out of the bar, walk back in, and sit down. Bartender says, "Hey, the bar's getting ready to close up soon." Atreyu says, "Don't worry, we won't be here long." They get up, walk out, and walk back in. This time, the bartender says, "Okay guys, what's the story? You can't do this all night. The bar's getting ready to close." Atreyu looks at Falcor, then says to the bartender, "Sorry, we have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, but don't worry we won't be here long." Bartender says, "Sorry to hear. Is there anything that can be done? Like, is there a cure?" Atreyu sighs, looks down at the bar, and says, "No. Unfortunately, it never does." Then they get up, walk out of the bar, and walk back in again.

Ba-dum pshhh...

Anyway, Treva's best quality is his color-access. Though they sometimes don't mix too well, having access Ramp, Wraths, and Counters means you're going to weather the storm.

Third, I think he has the most relevant ability of the cycle. Some people will tell you gaining life is irrelevant, which is true against strong Voltron decks and Stompy decks that go unchecked. However, I tend to think it's probably the most threatening thing people can do and still stay under the radar in multiplayer matchups.

Treva's basically the "Rith" of the Life Gain decks. There are a couple of nice little sub-archetypes that would really align with Treva well, like Turbo-Fog or Combo Life-Gain (The decks with Felidar Sovereign and Test of Endurance). Basic control decks really stretch that extra 2-3 life a turn to max value, using him to pose a threat and keeping Treva from being messed with.

The thing people most forget is that Treva can pick other colors with his ability, which is where his coloring also tends to help control versions of this deck that don't like to have a lot on the field. Overall, I just have a lot of high praise for Treva. One of the most underrated Commanders.

Darigaaz, the Igniter

Terrible. Just terrible. Outclassed in
just about every category I can think of,
including artwork. This is the ugliest thing
I've ever seen. Fifth n this cycle, and
even lower in his own colors. Not worth it.

The days of using Darigaaz were over early after Kresh and Karrthus pushed him down the totem pole, and that doesn't look likely to change after Commander 2013 comes out. Prossh, Skyraider of Kher, which was spoiled at Comic Con, is likely to outclass him in the dragon department and simply provide a better alternative to those people who don't want to play Karrthus.

Deep down, I think we all know Darigaaz was never any good anyway. Playing the guessing game with his ability hardly feels worth it for extra damage, because if you have him out, and that damage is going to be a significant factor in the game, chances are you're already winning.

Overall, I find him to be the worst in this entire cycle. I'm sure there are some nice interactions with Furnace of Rath, Gratuitous Violence, Nature's Will, Sword of War and Peace, and Double Strike, but if your general needs to find Magical Christmas Land to eke out W's, the prognosis is not good.

That's all I got for today. As always, feel free to speculate with me about Commander 2013, opinions on my opinions, and good strategies to bring these guys BACK FROM THE BRINK.

Until then, I'll be working on my Neverending Story comic routine. I suggest you work on your own pop culture joke skills too.

-UL

(Bringin' It) Back From The Brink #1: Spellshapers

Happy Thor's Day Zoners!

JC's off this week, so I thought I'd kick off a new-but-not segment here on TGZ called Bringin' It Back From The Brink.

Mostly, we're going to be doing reviews on card cycles that are out of Standard and have probably been so for a long time.

The idea is that maybe you'll find some cool new cards to add to pre-existing decks or to build around in new decks. So I won't be doing a whole lot of grading, per se. I will be ranking them though.

Today we've got the Legendary Spellshapers from Prophecy on the docket. So let's get started.

GREEL, MIND RAKER

We'll start off with my favorite.

Greel's ability is probably the strongest in the cycle, even without looking at color identity. Mind Twist is one of Grandpa's favorite cards, and there's a reason it's been banned in French Duel Commander rules. On the play and with even minimal acceleration, Greel creates a legitimate threat that your opponent(s) will have to deal with. It's a lot of pressure, especially because there aren't a lot of aggro decks that can effectively get rid of their hand before he takes it away.

In this way, your own discard is a small price to pay, regardless of what you're throwing away. Having to pitch two cards to force your opponent to pitch 4 isn't great, but it's only one card more than typical Mind Twist.

And this is all without even the simplest design strategy. With access to removal and Reanimate, there's plenty of card advantage to be had by pitching big, over-costed threats and cheating them into play.

Maindeck, I could see this card having value too. There is a strict value assessment we make when we choose a Commander and taking that away makes this card pretty good too.

MAGETA THE LION

Going right down the line, Mageta is the second most powerful, but there's a lot less freedom in design.

Greel has a lot of space for threat choices and decent access to card advantage.

With Mageta, and by extension, the rest of the spellshapers on the list, there's significantly less redundancy, or really even reasonably playable cards.

As a Commander, the deck is doable though it'll probably be fairly expensive. Big playable cards like Endless Horizons and Land Tax provide enough land to ensure that there is a Wrath every turn, while a Crucible and Sun Titan will need to be there to eke out extra card advantage.

Therein lies the problem though. Mageta's ultimate reliance on typical "GoodStuff" does work to balance the power out. Still, it really doesn't do much to win this way. This deck will still need win conditions, and if Mageta is also the win condition, that feels like a little too much responsibility.

JOLRAEL, EMPRESS OF BEASTS

This is probably my favorite artwork of the cycle. Very regal.

Jolrael appeals to me as a Commander because she's an offensive force and a serious rattlesnake card to control players who like to Wrath.

Green supports her effect pretty well with its monopoly on ramp, but it comes at a hefty price. Pitching cards is a lot higher of a risk in these colors because there's essentially zero value to be had.

Still, if you like to be the Overrun guy, this is a cool deck. It's unique among Green decks because most builds, like Azusa, want to ramp and play dudes. In this one, you get to focus on ramp and  noncreature permanents like Akroma's Memorial that help to pump the squad.

Honestly, I like this one a little bit better than Mageta, but all it takes is Oblivion Stones to shut it down.

Alexi, Zephyr Mage

We're now in the realm of the not-quite-useful ones.

There are way better options in blue, and I don't see the appeal.

Alexi's a lot worse than cards that do what she does and so spellshaping with her feels basically useless.

I'm sure that there are good Blue decks that could win without a Commander. That's where I'd play this.

I think you guys know me well enough. I like bouncing stuff. Generally, it's pretty good, but if I have to discard in a blue deck, I'd rather be Looting.

LATULLA, KELDON OVERSEER

I'm not sure Latulla's actually worse than Alexi, mostly because Latulla can actually do some damage. Still, both have a lot of trouble finding value in their own colors.

Latulla's not realistic. The lengths that someone has to go to in order to develop synergies and get combos off look like way too much work when there's better options for Burn-style decks.

I see a lot of wasted turns trying to get combos off. Furthermore, actually netting additional cards in red is so hard I could see Latulla only being activated once or twice before you're forced into top deck mode.

Overall, I just find HH to be better. The lists will be fairly identical- Illusionist's Bracers, Basilisk Collar, and other damage doublers, so why not just play the better card?

Overall, this cycle is pretty neat and relatively underplayed. I'd love to see more Mageta and Jolrael decks. More Spellshaping would be great to see in general.

Till then, Take it Sleazy. And Enjoy Those Theros Spoilers.

-UL