Ashiok, Nightmare Muse - Solid generic Dimir walker option. Gives U/B a strong control oriented walker that isn't reliant on the artifact archetype. Phoenix of Ash - Everything we ever wanted from Chandra's Phoenix. Shatter the Sky - Mono-color 4 CC wrath allowed me to free up an Azorious slot by taking out Supreme Verdict. Woe Strider - Does a little bit of everything. Fantastic sac outlet.
I think Uro, Heliod, and Thassa are worthy of inclusion in many lists as well though they are currently outside of mine.
This thread is to list spoiled cards from THB that you are either including for sure or you are testing/watching. This is also a thread for posting early testing results. Please include the size of your cube, if it is powered/unpowered, and any other considerations that might impact your choices (e.g. you run multiple fetches, commander cube, etc.). As always you can post your list and update as the spoiler is completed or just post when it is done.
In Ashiok, Nightmare Muse - Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas is rather narrow outside of a dedicated artifact shell. I think this Ashiok variant is a better fit for more decks. Spamming 2/3 tokens, bounce plus exile discard, and an ultimate that free-casts your opponent cube spells...yes please.
Testing Heliod, Sun-Crowned- Looks like it a good potential replacement for Mirror Entity, Hallowed Spiritkeeper, or perhaps even Recruiter of the Guard (which hasn't blown me away). 5 Devotion in white shouldn't be too hard to come by and the combo with Walking Ballista is powerful but not overpowered. Nadir Kraken - The blue 3CC creature slot is definitely an area that could use improvement and this goes big and wide simultaneously and really lends itself to control strategies, counter/draw, opposition, and more. Paying 1 for a permanent +1/+1 pump and a 1/1 token is a steal. Being able to do it repeatedly is even better. Time to cut Serendib Efreet. Woe Strider - This guy does so many different things. Two bodies, free sac outlet, recursion, comes back larger. Black three drops have gotten better but I still think I could find a cut for this if it tests well enough. Ash Phoenix - This is probably the best Phoenix variant we have gotten since Rekindling Phoenix. It is definitely an upgrade over Chandra's Phoenix. The pump + recursion and haste is a potent combination that can add up to a lot of damage over the course of a game.
Watching Thassa, Deep-Dwelling - I'm happy to see blink get more support but a lot of blue decks don't have a heavy board presence so I'm not sure how relevant the devotion-creature clause will be here. Also 4 mana to tap a creature is alot. I think there will be some two-color decks that will run creatures who really take advantage of her ability on turn 5, but most two color decks will struggle even more to get the devotion trigger. Storm's Wrath - I think this card would have a lot more mileage in my cube if I supported Wildfire.dec or a big red deck but the identity of red in my cube is more burn/aggro-centric. If this hit non-red walkers I'd be much more interested. The First Iroan Games - This card is awesome value for 3 mana. One 1/1 body, 3 +1/+1 counters and draw two cards (and gold)? There's a lot of hoop jumping, but each saga enables the next hoop and it is important to remember this card won't be played in a vacuum. Often it will be turning your two drop into a 5 power threat and then giving you a free divination...IN GREEN. A wrath hoses this card awfully hard though and a gold for the final phase of the sage is a flavor win but a cube fail. Ultimately I just don't see this being consistent enough. Klothys, God of Destiny - I've heard this card compared to Sulfuric Vortex but Vortex this is not. The ability you get is dependant upon what is available to exile and losing the players can't gain life clause drastically reduces how effective the ability is. Also by the time you get the devotion on this guy his 4/5 body may not be so imposing, indestructible or not.
Still lots of set yet to be revealed, but it is looking like this will be a lighter set for cube then the past three (WAR, MH1, and ELD). I'm totally okay with this as I'm still trying to pick up certain ELD staples. I'm sure I'm not the only one who appreciates the breather for the wallet.
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Ashiok, Nightmare Muse - Solid generic Dimir walker option. Gives U/B a strong control oriented walker that isn't reliant on the artifact archetype.
Phoenix of Ash - Everything we ever wanted from Chandra's Phoenix.
Shatter the Sky - Mono-color 4 CC wrath allowed me to free up an Azorious slot by taking out Supreme Verdict.
Woe Strider - Does a little bit of everything. Fantastic sac outlet.
I think Uro, Heliod, and Thassa are worthy of inclusion in many lists as well though they are currently outside of mine.
In
Ashiok, Nightmare Muse - Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas is rather narrow outside of a dedicated artifact shell. I think this Ashiok variant is a better fit for more decks. Spamming 2/3 tokens, bounce plus exile discard, and an ultimate that free-casts your opponent cube spells...yes please.
Testing
Heliod, Sun-Crowned- Looks like it a good potential replacement for Mirror Entity, Hallowed Spiritkeeper, or perhaps even Recruiter of the Guard (which hasn't blown me away). 5 Devotion in white shouldn't be too hard to come by and the combo with Walking Ballista is powerful but not overpowered.
Nadir Kraken - The blue 3CC creature slot is definitely an area that could use improvement and this goes big and wide simultaneously and really lends itself to control strategies, counter/draw, opposition, and more. Paying 1 for a permanent +1/+1 pump and a 1/1 token is a steal. Being able to do it repeatedly is even better. Time to cut Serendib Efreet.
Woe Strider - This guy does so many different things. Two bodies, free sac outlet, recursion, comes back larger. Black three drops have gotten better but I still think I could find a cut for this if it tests well enough.
Ash Phoenix - This is probably the best Phoenix variant we have gotten since Rekindling Phoenix. It is definitely an upgrade over Chandra's Phoenix. The pump + recursion and haste is a potent combination that can add up to a lot of damage over the course of a game.
Watching
Thassa, Deep-Dwelling - I'm happy to see blink get more support but a lot of blue decks don't have a heavy board presence so I'm not sure how relevant the devotion-creature clause will be here. Also 4 mana to tap a creature is alot. I think there will be some two-color decks that will run creatures who really take advantage of her ability on turn 5, but most two color decks will struggle even more to get the devotion trigger.
Storm's Wrath - I think this card would have a lot more mileage in my cube if I supported Wildfire.dec or a big red deck but the identity of red in my cube is more burn/aggro-centric. If this hit non-red walkers I'd be much more interested.
The First Iroan Games - This card is awesome value for 3 mana. One 1/1 body, 3 +1/+1 counters and draw two cards (and gold)? There's a lot of hoop jumping, but each saga enables the next hoop and it is important to remember this card won't be played in a vacuum. Often it will be turning your two drop into a 5 power threat and then giving you a free divination...IN GREEN. A wrath hoses this card awfully hard though and a gold for the final phase of the sage is a flavor win but a cube fail. Ultimately I just don't see this being consistent enough.
Klothys, God of Destiny - I've heard this card compared to Sulfuric Vortex but Vortex this is not. The ability you get is dependant upon what is available to exile and losing the players can't gain life clause drastically reduces how effective the ability is. Also by the time you get the devotion on this guy his 4/5 body may not be so imposing, indestructible or not.
Still lots of set yet to be revealed, but it is looking like this will be a lighter set for cube then the past three (WAR, MH1, and ELD). I'm totally okay with this as I'm still trying to pick up certain ELD staples. I'm sure I'm not the only one who appreciates the breather for the wallet.