Why? It costs 1 mana more than Skaab, in exchange for 3 more toughness. Sure, it's harder to kill, but Skaab is mostly a discard outlet above else. And Haunted Dead already outclassed it anyways, so we're not getting anything new here.
It's Serendib Efreet without the downside, with recursion and almost flash. This is nearly everything that a graveyard based control deck could want in a finisher. It can't block the turn it's brought back, but it's still really good.
Turn 1 - Land - Mana dork
Turn 2 - Land - This guy
Turn 3 - Eldrazi Temple (or Land + Accel?) - Emerge - (either flash-in octopus and get a timeskip/ double discard, lightning helix the other player?).
Turn 4 - TKS/Reality Smasher ?
15 Land
4 Eldrazi Temple
8 Mana Dorks
4 Matter Reshaper
4 This guy
5 Emerge Guys
4 TKS
4 Reality Smasher
4 Eldrazi Mimic
4 Endless Scourge
4 Dismember
Before people dismiss this idea, I'll note Emissary does pass the Bolt Test by replacing itself as it enters play. Also, if you have any of the emerge cards with flash, you can also sacrifice this in response to any removal even on the turn you cast it. Very sweet.
We seem to have gotten most (in fact I'd say all) of the good cards spoiled before the full set is revealed.
- Playable
Selfless Spirit (Chord/Company decks)
Haunted Dead (Dredge)
Emrakul, the Promised End (RG Tron)
- Reprint (or functional reprint)
Contingency Plan (Bubble Hulk plays Taigam's Scheming sometimes, as did the old Grixis Griselbrand deck before Jace, Vryn's Prodigy came along)
Terrarion (Eggs)
- SB 1-ofs
Collective Brutality
- Close, but unplayable
Providence
Coax from the Blind Eternities
Liliana, the Last Hope
Stromkirk Condemned
Eldritch Evolution (overrated)
Splendid Reclamation
- Unplayable
Blessed Alliance
Collective Effort (there's actually a card called Concerted Effort, don't confuse the two!)
Deploy the Gatewatch
Sigarda's Aid
Thalia, Heretic Cathar (overrated)
Thalia's Lancers
Fortune's Favor
Identity Thief
Imprisoned in the Moon
Lunar Force
Summary Dismissal
Unsubstantiate (overrated)
Oath of Liliana
Succumb to Temptation
Tree of Perdition (seriously)
Bedlam Reveler
Collective Defiance
Harmless Offering (see Tree of Perdition)
Mirrorwing Dragon
Nahiri's Wrath
Thermo-Alchemist
Crop Sigil
Ishkanah, Grafwidow
Permeating Mass
Tamiyo, Field Researcher
Eternal Scourge
Lone Rider (not even in Soul Sisters/Martyr Proc)
Curious Homunculus
Docent of Perfection
Lupine Prototype (my nickname for this guy is Ancient Watcher )
Soul Separator
Geier Reach Sanitarium
Nephalia Academy (overrated, Leyline of Sanctity is better)
Spirits, other than Selfless Spirit
Zombies (including Gisa and Geralf), other than Haunted Dead
Werewolves
Delirium cards (Whispers of Emrakul, Gnarlwood Dryad, Grim Flayer)
Emerge cards
Meld cards (even Hanweir Garrison by itself)
Take Inventory and Galvanic Bombardment
- Only one deck wants it, that deck will not be tier 2+
Borrowed Hostility (budget mono-red Swiftspear/Kiln Fiend decks)
Noose Constrictor, Bloodhall Priest, Olivia's Dragoon (Madness)
Kessig Prowler (mono-green Stompy)
Cathar's Shield (Cheeri0s)
- Last minute changes:
I probably underrated Emrakul when it was first spoiled. Bumped to playable.
I prefer Zombie Infestation in Madness, but I could see Olivia's Dragoon being used in its place.
Splendid Reclamation is pretty good with Ghost Quarter. It could be playable, but for now I think it's another Animist's Awakening.
Overall the set feels OK. They've introduced a lot of madness cards and enablers, so we'll see how that plays out. They're trying to push Spirit tribal too. One thing I dislike is how the combo cards all seem to cost a ridiculous amount of mana; there's no random 1-/2-mana enchantment that you can play early and spend turns building, like Pyromancer Ascension or Hardened Scales. Sigarda's Aid and Crop Sigil aren't what I'm looking for.
Madness
People are definitely going to try this out - it's a deck that has been played in Standard and Extended before, and they just printed a whole bunch of cards for it. I think it's good enough to hover between tier 2 and tier 3. It's not very fast, but it is very resilient.
I don't play Standard, but I think Madness should be playable there too. The Standard version would have more Vampire synergy, like Stromkirk Condemned and Stensia Masquerade. Modern Madness would be split 50/50 between Vampires and Zombies.
Spirits
Spirits got a lot of support in this set, but compared to every other tribal archetype out there, it's missing something that makes that archetype good. It doesn't have mana dorks, unlike Elves or Slivers. That's not a death sentence, but it would mean that you have to play AEther Vial, which limits your noncreature options. It doesn't have a 2-drop that draws a card or makes a token, unlike Merfolk, Elves or Goblins. It doesn't have a 2-mana lord, unlike Merfolk or Slivers. It doesn't have a big play like Ezuri or Master of Waves. The main things it has going for it is a flying Cursecatcher/Foundry Street Denizen (which doesn't grow as quickly as Denizen due to the lack of 2-drop token makers and 1-drop density), two cards which beat spot removal and board wipes individually, and Thoughtbind on a body. I don't expect it to be as successful as Madness (or even successful at all).
The best Spirit is Selfless Spirit, in Company/Chord decks, as an anti-removal bullet.
Zombies
They didn't get many playables from this set. Most of the support cards are expensive mill spells that don't even mill that much. Haunted Dead is probably the best card, but for Dredge.
Werewolves
People love to complain about Werewolves, I don't know why. It seems to garner an inordinate amount of hate compared to other mechanics that don't pan out. First it's about Ulrich sucking, then it's about Werewolves starting out in their wolf form and transforming into Eldrazi. I think between this and Slivers, by now WotC knows that it's a bad idea to screw around with the design of returning tribes.
Anyway, unplayable.
Delirium
I believe Delirium is a lot harder to achieve than what a lot of people think. You have to play cards like Mishra's Bauble to turn it on - a simple deck with just lands, creatures, instants, and a few sorceries isn't going to get there. Yes, the Delirium cards are all very strong if you can get delirium: 1-mana 3/3 deathtouch, 2-mana 4/4 trample, etc, but none of that matters if you can't. The fact that all these cards are cheap and aggressive puts you in a dilemma: you need to play your delirium creatures AND set up delirium with the limited amount of mana you have on turns 1-2. Setting up a 3/3 Nacatl or 4/5 Goyf is much easier, and you don't have to play Baubles in your deck.
Verdict: unplayable.
Emerge
It seems breakable, but now that all the cards are out my opinion is that it isn't. The emerge spells all have pretty high emerge costs, which means you have to sac something of substantial value to get them out, not just some random 1-drop that's outlived its usefulness. They have all those cool effects and big bodies, but since you have to sac a creature I view them as loosely equivalent to playing a big Aura, like Elder Mastery, on the creature you were going to sac. Suppose your opponent can't kill the creature you're trying to attach the Aura to, but that doesn't make a whole lot of difference.
This applies to Eldritch Evolution too - IMO it's overhyped. People love to call any green card that has the words "sacrifice a creature" or "search your library" the next Pod. Remember Evolutionary Leap?
Gimmicks
The Meld cards and Docent of Perfection feel like they were just trying to shoehorn mechanics from other TCGs into the set. Meld is Psychic Super Creatures from Duel Masters, and the Delver -> Researcher -> Docent series is basically Gigobyte from Yu-Gi-Oh.
Controlling another player rule
People love to make a big deal over rules changes. Legend rule = Geist is broken. Mulligan scry rule = Delver is broken. If you're playing Mindslaver, this change isn't going to make your deck unplayable. If you're not, it isn't going to make a difference in your mono-blue Tron matchup because your opponent can't look at your sideboard now.
We seem to have gotten most (in fact I'd say all) of the good cards spoiled before the full set is revealed.
- Playable
Selfless Spirit (Chord/Company decks)
Haunted Dead (Dredge)
Emrakul, the Promised End (RG Tron)
- Reprint (or functional reprint)
Contingency Plan (Bubble Hulk plays Taigam's Scheming sometimes, as did the old Grixis Griselbrand deck before Jace, Vryn's Prodigy came along)
Terrarion (Eggs)
- SB 1-ofs
Collective Brutality
- Close, but unplayable
Providence
Coax from the Blind Eternities
Liliana, the Last Hope
Stromkirk Condemned
Eldritch Evolution (overrated)
Splendid Reclamation
- Unplayable
Blessed Alliance
Collective Effort (there's actually a card called Concerted Effort, don't confuse the two!)
Deploy the Gatewatch
Sigarda's Aid
Thalia, Heretic Cathar (overrated)
Thalia's Lancers
Fortune's Favor
Identity Thief
Imprisoned in the Moon
Lunar Force
Summary Dismissal
Unsubstantiate (overrated)
Oath of Liliana
Succumb to Temptation
Tree of Perdition (seriously)
Bedlam Reveler
Collective Defiance
Harmless Offering (see Tree of Perdition)
Mirrorwing Dragon
Nahiri's Wrath
Thermo-Alchemist
Crop Sigil
Ishkanah, Grafwidow
Permeating Mass
Tamiyo, Field Researcher
Eternal Scourge
Lone Rider (not even in Soul Sisters/Martyr Proc)
Curious Homunculus
Docent of Perfection
Lupine Prototype (my nickname for this guy is Ancient Watcher )
Soul Separator
Geier Reach Sanitarium
Nephalia Academy (overrated, Leyline of Sanctity is better)
Spirits, other than Selfless Spirit
Zombies (including Gisa and Geralf), other than Haunted Dead
Werewolves
Delirium cards (Whispers of Emrakul, Gnarlwood Dryad, Grim Flayer)
Emerge cards
Meld cards (even Hanweir Garrison by itself)
Take Inventory and Galvanic Bombardment
- Only one deck wants it, that deck will not be tier 2+
Borrowed Hostility (budget mono-red Swiftspear/Kiln Fiend decks)
Noose Constrictor, Bloodhall Priest, Olivia's Dragoon (Madness)
Kessig Prowler (mono-green Stompy)
Cathar's Shield (Cheeri0s)
- Last minute changes:
I probably underrated Emrakul when it was first spoiled. Bumped to playable.
I prefer Zombie Infestation in Madness, but I could see Olivia's Dragoon being used in its place.
Splendid Reclamation is pretty good with Ghost Quarter. It could be playable, but for now I think it's another Animist's Awakening.
Overall the set feels OK. They've introduced a lot of madness cards and enablers, so we'll see how that plays out. They're trying to push Spirit tribal too. One thing I dislike is how the combo cards all seem to cost a ridiculous amount of mana; there's no random 1-/2-mana enchantment that you can play early and spend turns building, like Pyromancer Ascension or Hardened Scales. Sigarda's Aid and Crop Sigil aren't what I'm looking for.
Madness
People are definitely going to try this out - it's a deck that has been played in Standard and Extended before, and they just printed a whole bunch of cards for it. I think it's good enough to hover between tier 2 and tier 3. It's not very fast, but it is very resilient.
I don't play Standard, but I think Madness should be playable there too. The Standard version would have more Vampire synergy, like Stromkirk Condemned and Stensia Masquerade. Modern Madness would be split 50/50 between Vampires and Zombies.
Spirits
Spirits got a lot of support in this set, but compared to every other tribal archetype out there, it's missing something that makes that archetype good. It doesn't have mana dorks, unlike Elves or Slivers. That's not a death sentence, but it would mean that you have to play AEther Vial, which limits your noncreature options. It doesn't have a 2-drop that draws a card or makes a token, unlike Merfolk, Elves or Goblins. It doesn't have a 2-mana lord, unlike Merfolk or Slivers. It doesn't have a big play like Ezuri or Master of Waves. The main things it has going for it is a flying Cursecatcher/Foundry Street Denizen (which doesn't grow as quickly as Denizen due to the lack of 2-drop token makers and 1-drop density), two cards which beat spot removal and board wipes individually, and Thoughtbind on a body. I don't expect it to be as successful as Madness (or even successful at all).
The best Spirit is Selfless Spirit, in Company/Chord decks, as an anti-removal bullet.
Zombies
They didn't get many playables from this set. Most of the support cards are expensive mill spells that don't even mill that much. Haunted Dead is probably the best card, but for Dredge.
Werewolves
People love to complain about Werewolves, I don't know why. It seems to garner an inordinate amount of hate compared to other mechanics that don't pan out. First it's about Ulrich sucking, then it's about Werewolves starting out in their wolf form and transforming into Eldrazi. I think between this and Slivers, by now WotC knows that it's a bad idea to screw around with the design of returning tribes.
Anyway, unplayable.
Delirium
I believe Delirium is a lot harder to achieve than what a lot of people think. You have to play cards like Mishra's Bauble to turn it on - a simple deck with just lands, creatures, instants, and a few sorceries isn't going to get there. Yes, the Delirium cards are all very strong if you can get delirium: 1-mana 3/3 deathtouch, 2-mana 4/4 trample, etc, but none of that matters if you can't. The fact that all these cards are cheap and aggressive puts you in a dilemma: you need to play your delirium creatures AND set up delirium with the limited amount of mana you have on turns 1-2. Setting up a 3/3 Nacatl or 4/5 Goyf is much easier, and you don't have to play Baubles in your deck.
Verdict: unplayable.
Emerge
It seems breakable, but now that all the cards are out my opinion is that it isn't. The emerge spells all have pretty high emerge costs, which means you have to sac something of substantial value to get them out, not just some random 1-drop that's outlived its usefulness. They have all those cool effects and big bodies, but since you have to sac a creature I view them as loosely equivalent to playing a big Aura, like Elder Mastery, on the creature you were going to sac. Suppose your opponent can't kill the creature you're trying to attach the Aura to, but that doesn't make a whole lot of difference.
This applies to Eldritch Evolution too - IMO it's overhyped. People love to call any green card that has the words "sacrifice a creature" or "search your library" the next Pod. Remember Evolutionary Leap?
Gimmicks
The Meld cards and Docent of Perfection feel like they were just trying to shoehorn mechanics from other TCGs into the set. Meld is Psychic Super Creatures from Duel Masters, and the Delver -> Researcher -> Docent series is basically Gigobyte from Yu-Gi-Oh.
Controlling another player rule
People love to make a big deal over rules changes. Legend rule = Geist is broken. Mulligan scry rule = Delver is broken. If you're playing Mindslaver, this change isn't going to make your deck unplayable. If you're not, it isn't going to make a difference in your mono-blue Tron matchup because your opponent can't look at your sideboard now.
We seem to have gotten most (in fact I'd say all) of the good cards spoiled before the full set is revealed.
- Playable
Selfless Spirit (Chord/Company decks)
Haunted Dead (Dredge)
Emrakul, the Promised End (RG Tron)
- Reprint (or functional reprint)
Contingency Plan (Bubble Hulk plays Taigam's Scheming sometimes, as did the old Grixis Griselbrand deck before Jace, Vryn's Prodigy came along)
Terrarion (Eggs)
- SB 1-ofs
Collective Brutality
- Close, but unplayable
Providence
Coax from the Blind Eternities
Liliana, the Last Hope
Stromkirk Condemned
Eldritch Evolution (overrated)
Splendid Reclamation
- Unplayable
Blessed Alliance
Collective Effort (there's actually a card called Concerted Effort, don't confuse the two!)
Deploy the Gatewatch
Sigarda's Aid
Thalia, Heretic Cathar (overrated)
Thalia's Lancers
Fortune's Favor
Identity Thief
Imprisoned in the Moon
Lunar Force
Summary Dismissal
Unsubstantiate (overrated)
Oath of Liliana
Succumb to Temptation
Tree of Perdition (seriously)
Bedlam Reveler
Collective Defiance
Harmless Offering (see Tree of Perdition)
Mirrorwing Dragon
Nahiri's Wrath
Thermo-Alchemist
Crop Sigil
Ishkanah, Grafwidow
Permeating Mass
Tamiyo, Field Researcher
Eternal Scourge
Lone Rider (not even in Soul Sisters/Martyr Proc)
Curious Homunculus
Docent of Perfection
Lupine Prototype (my nickname for this guy is Ancient Watcher )
Soul Separator
Geier Reach Sanitarium
Nephalia Academy (overrated, Leyline of Sanctity is better)
Spirits, other than Selfless Spirit
Zombies (including Gisa and Geralf), other than Haunted Dead
Werewolves
Delirium cards (Whispers of Emrakul, Gnarlwood Dryad, Grim Flayer)
Emerge cards
Meld cards (even Hanweir Garrison by itself)
Take Inventory and Galvanic Bombardment
- Only one deck wants it, that deck will not be tier 2+
Borrowed Hostility (budget mono-red Swiftspear/Kiln Fiend decks)
Noose Constrictor, Bloodhall Priest, Olivia's Dragoon (Madness)
Kessig Prowler (mono-green Stompy)
Cathar's Shield (Cheeri0s)
- Last minute changes:
I probably underrated Emrakul when it was first spoiled. Bumped to playable.
I prefer Zombie Infestation in Madness, but I could see Olivia's Dragoon being used in its place.
Splendid Reclamation is pretty good with Ghost Quarter. It could be playable, but for now I think it's another Animist's Awakening.
Overall the set feels OK. They've introduced a lot of madness cards and enablers, so we'll see how that plays out. They're trying to push Spirit tribal too. One thing I dislike is how the combo cards all seem to cost a ridiculous amount of mana; there's no random 1-/2-mana enchantment that you can play early and spend turns building, like Pyromancer Ascension or Hardened Scales. Sigarda's Aid and Crop Sigil aren't what I'm looking for.
Madness
People are definitely going to try this out - it's a deck that has been played in Standard and Extended before, and they just printed a whole bunch of cards for it. I think it's good enough to hover between tier 2 and tier 3. It's not very fast, but it is very resilient.
I don't play Standard, but I think Madness should be playable there too. The Standard version would have more Vampire synergy, like Stromkirk Condemned and Stensia Masquerade. Modern Madness would be split 50/50 between Vampires and Zombies.
Spirits
Spirits got a lot of support in this set, but compared to every other tribal archetype out there, it's missing something that makes that archetype good. It doesn't have mana dorks, unlike Elves or Slivers. That's not a death sentence, but it would mean that you have to play AEther Vial, which limits your noncreature options. It doesn't have a 2-drop that draws a card or makes a token, unlike Merfolk, Elves or Goblins. It doesn't have a 2-mana lord, unlike Merfolk or Slivers. It doesn't have a big play like Ezuri or Master of Waves. The main things it has going for it is a flying Cursecatcher/Foundry Street Denizen (which doesn't grow as quickly as Denizen due to the lack of 2-drop token makers and 1-drop density), two cards which beat spot removal and board wipes individually, and Thoughtbind on a body. I don't expect it to be as successful as Madness (or even successful at all).
The best Spirit is Selfless Spirit, in Company/Chord decks, as an anti-removal bullet.
Zombies
They didn't get many playables from this set. Most of the support cards are expensive mill spells that don't even mill that much. Haunted Dead is probably the best card, but for Dredge.
Werewolves
People love to complain about Werewolves, I don't know why. It seems to garner an inordinate amount of hate compared to other mechanics that don't pan out. First it's about Ulrich sucking, then it's about Werewolves starting out in their wolf form and transforming into Eldrazi. I think between this and Slivers, by now WotC knows that it's a bad idea to screw around with the design of returning tribes.
Anyway, unplayable.
Delirium
I believe Delirium is a lot harder to achieve than what a lot of people think. You have to play cards like Mishra's Bauble to turn it on - a simple deck with just lands, creatures, instants, and a few sorceries isn't going to get there. Yes, the Delirium cards are all very strong if you can get delirium: 1-mana 3/3 deathtouch, 2-mana 4/4 trample, etc, but none of that matters if you can't. The fact that all these cards are cheap and aggressive puts you in a dilemma: you need to play your delirium creatures AND set up delirium with the limited amount of mana you have on turns 1-2. Setting up a 3/3 Nacatl or 4/5 Goyf is much easier, and you don't have to play Baubles in your deck.
Verdict: unplayable.
Emerge
It seems breakable, but now that all the cards are out my opinion is that it isn't. The emerge spells all have pretty high emerge costs, which means you have to sac something of substantial value to get them out, not just some random 1-drop that's outlived its usefulness. They have all those cool effects and big bodies, but since you have to sac a creature I view them as loosely equivalent to playing a big Aura, like Elder Mastery, on the creature you were going to sac. Suppose your opponent can't kill the creature you're trying to attach the Aura to, but that doesn't make a whole lot of difference.
This applies to Eldritch Evolution too - IMO it's overhyped. People love to call any green card that has the words "sacrifice a creature" or "search your library" the next Pod. Remember Evolutionary Leap?
Gimmicks
The Meld cards and Docent of Perfection feel like they were just trying to shoehorn mechanics from other TCGs into the set. Meld is Psychic Super Creatures from Duel Masters, and the Delver -> Researcher -> Docent series is basically Gigobyte from Yu-Gi-Oh.
Controlling another player rule
People love to make a big deal over rules changes. Legend rule = Geist is broken. Mulligan scry rule = Delver is broken. If you're playing Mindslaver, this change isn't going to make your deck unplayable. If you're not, it isn't going to make a difference in your mono-blue Tron matchup because your opponent can't look at your sideboard now.
Two full blocks and four full sets from back to back "Returns" without any noteworthy reprints from two of the most powerful and popular planes in the modern era of Magic, right after it's announced that core sets are no longer being made and reprints will be done through "Return" sets.
We seem to have gotten most (in fact I'd say all) of the good cards spoiled before the full set is revealed.
- Playable
Selfless Spirit (Chord/Company decks)
Haunted Dead (Dredge)
Emrakul, the Promised End (RG Tron)
- Reprint (or functional reprint)
Contingency Plan (Bubble Hulk plays Taigam's Scheming sometimes, as did the old Grixis Griselbrand deck before Jace, Vryn's Prodigy came along)
Terrarion (Eggs)
- SB 1-ofs
Collective Brutality
- Close, but unplayable
Providence
Coax from the Blind Eternities
Liliana, the Last Hope
Stromkirk Condemned
Eldritch Evolution (overrated)
Splendid Reclamation
- Unplayable
Blessed Alliance
Collective Effort (there's actually a card called Concerted Effort, don't confuse the two!)
Deploy the Gatewatch
Sigarda's Aid
Thalia, Heretic Cathar (overrated)
Thalia's Lancers
Fortune's Favor
Identity Thief
Imprisoned in the Moon
Lunar Force
Summary Dismissal
Unsubstantiate (overrated)
Oath of Liliana
Succumb to Temptation
Tree of Perdition (seriously)
Bedlam Reveler
Collective Defiance
Harmless Offering (see Tree of Perdition)
Mirrorwing Dragon
Nahiri's Wrath
Thermo-Alchemist
Crop Sigil
Ishkanah, Grafwidow
Permeating Mass
Tamiyo, Field Researcher
Eternal Scourge
Lone Rider (not even in Soul Sisters/Martyr Proc)
Curious Homunculus
Docent of Perfection
Lupine Prototype (my nickname for this guy is Ancient Watcher )
Soul Separator
Geier Reach Sanitarium
Nephalia Academy (overrated, Leyline of Sanctity is better)
Spirits, other than Selfless Spirit
Zombies (including Gisa and Geralf), other than Haunted Dead
Werewolves
Delirium cards (Whispers of Emrakul, Gnarlwood Dryad, Grim Flayer)
Emerge cards
Meld cards (even Hanweir Garrison by itself)
Take Inventory and Galvanic Bombardment
- Only one deck wants it, that deck will not be tier 2+
Borrowed Hostility (budget mono-red Swiftspear/Kiln Fiend decks)
Noose Constrictor, Bloodhall Priest, Olivia's Dragoon (Madness)
Kessig Prowler (mono-green Stompy)
Cathar's Shield (Cheeri0s)
- Last minute changes:
I probably underrated Emrakul when it was first spoiled. Bumped to playable.
I prefer Zombie Infestation in Madness, but I could see Olivia's Dragoon being used in its place.
Splendid Reclamation is pretty good with Ghost Quarter. It could be playable, but for now I think it's another Animist's Awakening.
Overall the set feels OK. They've introduced a lot of madness cards and enablers, so we'll see how that plays out. They're trying to push Spirit tribal too. One thing I dislike is how the combo cards all seem to cost a ridiculous amount of mana; there's no random 1-/2-mana enchantment that you can play early and spend turns building, like Pyromancer Ascension or Hardened Scales. Sigarda's Aid and Crop Sigil aren't what I'm looking for.
Madness
People are definitely going to try this out - it's a deck that has been played in Standard and Extended before, and they just printed a whole bunch of cards for it. I think it's good enough to hover between tier 2 and tier 3. It's not very fast, but it is very resilient.
I don't play Standard, but I think Madness should be playable there too. The Standard version would have more Vampire synergy, like Stromkirk Condemned and Stensia Masquerade. Modern Madness would be split 50/50 between Vampires and Zombies.
Spirits
Spirits got a lot of support in this set, but compared to every other tribal archetype out there, it's missing something that makes that archetype good. It doesn't have mana dorks, unlike Elves or Slivers. That's not a death sentence, but it would mean that you have to play AEther Vial, which limits your noncreature options. It doesn't have a 2-drop that draws a card or makes a token, unlike Merfolk, Elves or Goblins. It doesn't have a 2-mana lord, unlike Merfolk or Slivers. It doesn't have a big play like Ezuri or Master of Waves. The main things it has going for it is a flying Cursecatcher/Foundry Street Denizen (which doesn't grow as quickly as Denizen due to the lack of 2-drop token makers and 1-drop density), two cards which beat spot removal and board wipes individually, and Thoughtbind on a body. I don't expect it to be as successful as Madness (or even successful at all).
The best Spirit is Selfless Spirit, in Company/Chord decks, as an anti-removal bullet.
Zombies
They didn't get many playables from this set. Most of the support cards are expensive mill spells that don't even mill that much. Haunted Dead is probably the best card, but for Dredge.
Werewolves
People love to complain about Werewolves, I don't know why. It seems to garner an inordinate amount of hate compared to other mechanics that don't pan out. First it's about Ulrich sucking, then it's about Werewolves starting out in their wolf form and transforming into Eldrazi. I think between this and Slivers, by now WotC knows that it's a bad idea to screw around with the design of returning tribes.
Anyway, unplayable.
Delirium
I believe Delirium is a lot harder to achieve than what a lot of people think. You have to play cards like Mishra's Bauble to turn it on - a simple deck with just lands, creatures, instants, and a few sorceries isn't going to get there. Yes, the Delirium cards are all very strong if you can get delirium: 1-mana 3/3 deathtouch, 2-mana 4/4 trample, etc, but none of that matters if you can't. The fact that all these cards are cheap and aggressive puts you in a dilemma: you need to play your delirium creatures AND set up delirium with the limited amount of mana you have on turns 1-2. Setting up a 3/3 Nacatl or 4/5 Goyf is much easier, and you don't have to play Baubles in your deck.
Verdict: unplayable.
Emerge
It seems breakable, but now that all the cards are out my opinion is that it isn't. The emerge spells all have pretty high emerge costs, which means you have to sac something of substantial value to get them out, not just some random 1-drop that's outlived its usefulness. They have all those cool effects and big bodies, but since you have to sac a creature I view them as loosely equivalent to playing a big Aura, like Elder Mastery, on the creature you were going to sac. Suppose your opponent can't kill the creature you're trying to attach the Aura to, but that doesn't make a whole lot of difference.
This applies to Eldritch Evolution too - IMO it's overhyped. People love to call any green card that has the words "sacrifice a creature" or "search your library" the next Pod. Remember Evolutionary Leap?
Gimmicks
The Meld cards and Docent of Perfection feel like they were just trying to shoehorn mechanics from other TCGs into the set. Meld is Psychic Super Creatures from Duel Masters, and the Delver -> Researcher -> Docent series is basically Gigobyte from Yu-Gi-Oh.
Controlling another player rule
People love to make a big deal over rules changes. Legend rule = Geist is broken. Mulligan scry rule = Delver is broken. If you're playing Mindslaver, this change isn't going to make your deck unplayable. If you're not, it isn't going to make a difference in your mono-blue Tron matchup because your opponent can't look at your sideboard now.
Ulamog
Endless One
Missed on Blisterpod
Missed on Lumbering Falls
You didn't even mention ANY of the processors
Matter Reshaper
Reality Smasher
Kalitas
World Breaker
Nissa, Voice of Zendikar
Eldrazi Displacer
Goblin Dark Dwellers
We seem to have gotten most (in fact I'd say all) of the good cards spoiled before the full set is revealed.
- Playable
Selfless Spirit (Chord/Company decks)
Haunted Dead (Dredge)
Emrakul, the Promised End (RG Tron)
- Reprint (or functional reprint)
Contingency Plan (Bubble Hulk plays Taigam's Scheming sometimes, as did the old Grixis Griselbrand deck before Jace, Vryn's Prodigy came along)
Terrarion (Eggs)
- SB 1-ofs
Collective Brutality
- Close, but unplayable
Providence
Coax from the Blind Eternities
Liliana, the Last Hope
Stromkirk Condemned
Eldritch Evolution (overrated)
Splendid Reclamation
- Unplayable
Blessed Alliance
Collective Effort (there's actually a card called Concerted Effort, don't confuse the two!)
Deploy the Gatewatch
Sigarda's Aid
Thalia, Heretic Cathar (overrated)
Thalia's Lancers
Fortune's Favor
Identity Thief
Imprisoned in the Moon
Lunar Force
Summary Dismissal
Unsubstantiate (overrated)
Oath of Liliana
Succumb to Temptation
Tree of Perdition (seriously)
Bedlam Reveler
Collective Defiance
Harmless Offering (see Tree of Perdition)
Mirrorwing Dragon
Nahiri's Wrath
Thermo-Alchemist
Crop Sigil
Ishkanah, Grafwidow
Permeating Mass
Tamiyo, Field Researcher
Eternal Scourge
Lone Rider (not even in Soul Sisters/Martyr Proc)
Curious Homunculus
Docent of Perfection
Lupine Prototype (my nickname for this guy is Ancient Watcher )
Soul Separator
Geier Reach Sanitarium
Nephalia Academy (overrated, Leyline of Sanctity is better)
Spirits, other than Selfless Spirit
Zombies (including Gisa and Geralf), other than Haunted Dead
Werewolves
Delirium cards (Whispers of Emrakul, Gnarlwood Dryad, Grim Flayer)
Emerge cards
Meld cards (even Hanweir Garrison by itself)
Take Inventory and Galvanic Bombardment
- Only one deck wants it, that deck will not be tier 2+
Borrowed Hostility (budget mono-red Swiftspear/Kiln Fiend decks)
Noose Constrictor, Bloodhall Priest, Olivia's Dragoon (Madness)
Kessig Prowler (mono-green Stompy)
Cathar's Shield (Cheeri0s)
- Last minute changes:
I probably underrated Emrakul when it was first spoiled. Bumped to playable.
I prefer Zombie Infestation in Madness, but I could see Olivia's Dragoon being used in its place.
Splendid Reclamation is pretty good with Ghost Quarter. It could be playable, but for now I think it's another Animist's Awakening.
Overall the set feels OK. They've introduced a lot of madness cards and enablers, so we'll see how that plays out. They're trying to push Spirit tribal too. One thing I dislike is how the combo cards all seem to cost a ridiculous amount of mana; there's no random 1-/2-mana enchantment that you can play early and spend turns building, like Pyromancer Ascension or Hardened Scales. Sigarda's Aid and Crop Sigil aren't what I'm looking for.
Madness
People are definitely going to try this out - it's a deck that has been played in Standard and Extended before, and they just printed a whole bunch of cards for it. I think it's good enough to hover between tier 2 and tier 3. It's not very fast, but it is very resilient.
I don't play Standard, but I think Madness should be playable there too. The Standard version would have more Vampire synergy, like Stromkirk Condemned and Stensia Masquerade. Modern Madness would be split 50/50 between Vampires and Zombies.
Spirits
Spirits got a lot of support in this set, but compared to every other tribal archetype out there, it's missing something that makes that archetype good. It doesn't have mana dorks, unlike Elves or Slivers. That's not a death sentence, but it would mean that you have to play AEther Vial, which limits your noncreature options. It doesn't have a 2-drop that draws a card or makes a token, unlike Merfolk, Elves or Goblins. It doesn't have a 2-mana lord, unlike Merfolk or Slivers. It doesn't have a big play like Ezuri or Master of Waves. The main things it has going for it is a flying Cursecatcher/Foundry Street Denizen (which doesn't grow as quickly as Denizen due to the lack of 2-drop token makers and 1-drop density), two cards which beat spot removal and board wipes individually, and Thoughtbind on a body. I don't expect it to be as successful as Madness (or even successful at all).
The best Spirit is Selfless Spirit, in Company/Chord decks, as an anti-removal bullet.
Zombies
They didn't get many playables from this set. Most of the support cards are expensive mill spells that don't even mill that much. Haunted Dead is probably the best card, but for Dredge.
Werewolves
People love to complain about Werewolves, I don't know why. It seems to garner an inordinate amount of hate compared to other mechanics that don't pan out. First it's about Ulrich sucking, then it's about Werewolves starting out in their wolf form and transforming into Eldrazi. I think between this and Slivers, by now WotC knows that it's a bad idea to screw around with the design of returning tribes.
Anyway, unplayable.
Delirium
I believe Delirium is a lot harder to achieve than what a lot of people think. You have to play cards like Mishra's Bauble to turn it on - a simple deck with just lands, creatures, instants, and a few sorceries isn't going to get there. Yes, the Delirium cards are all very strong if you can get delirium: 1-mana 3/3 deathtouch, 2-mana 4/4 trample, etc, but none of that matters if you can't. The fact that all these cards are cheap and aggressive puts you in a dilemma: you need to play your delirium creatures AND set up delirium with the limited amount of mana you have on turns 1-2. Setting up a 3/3 Nacatl or 4/5 Goyf is much easier, and you don't have to play Baubles in your deck.
Verdict: unplayable.
Emerge
It seems breakable, but now that all the cards are out my opinion is that it isn't. The emerge spells all have pretty high emerge costs, which means you have to sac something of substantial value to get them out, not just some random 1-drop that's outlived its usefulness. They have all those cool effects and big bodies, but since you have to sac a creature I view them as loosely equivalent to playing a big Aura, like Elder Mastery, on the creature you were going to sac. Suppose your opponent can't kill the creature you're trying to attach the Aura to, but that doesn't make a whole lot of difference.
This applies to Eldritch Evolution too - IMO it's overhyped. People love to call any green card that has the words "sacrifice a creature" or "search your library" the next Pod. Remember Evolutionary Leap?
Gimmicks
The Meld cards and Docent of Perfection feel like they were just trying to shoehorn mechanics from other TCGs into the set. Meld is Psychic Super Creatures from Duel Masters, and the Delver -> Researcher -> Docent series is basically Gigobyte from Yu-Gi-Oh.
Controlling another player rule
People love to make a big deal over rules changes. Legend rule = Geist is broken. Mulligan scry rule = Delver is broken. If you're playing Mindslaver, this change isn't going to make your deck unplayable. If you're not, it isn't going to make a difference in your mono-blue Tron matchup because your opponent can't look at your sideboard now.
Ulamog
Endless One
Missed on Blisterpod
Missed on Lumbering Falls
You didn't even mention ANY of the processors
Matter Reshaper
Reality Smasher
Kalitas
World Breaker
Nissa, Voice of Zendikar
Eldrazi Displacer
Goblin Dark Dwellers
There, now I'm good. Forgot about Zendikar block.
Maybe little more than few but I have had my share missed evaluations.
Two full blocks and four full sets from back to back "Returns" without any noteworthy reprints from two of the most powerful and popular planes in the modern era of Magic, right after it's announced that core sets are no longer being made and reprints will be done through "Return" sets.
Return to New Phyrexia.
Deceiver Exarch reprint, upped to Mythic Rare.
Two full blocks and four full sets from back to back "Returns" without any noteworthy reprints from two of the most powerful and popular planes in the modern era of Magic, right after it's announced that core sets are no longer being made and reprints will be done through "Return" sets.
Only half of Innistrad was a return set, the other half was Battle for Zendikar set 3.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
On mtgsalvation people don't want to discuss ideas, so I give people something else to discuss: my controversial opinions.
We seem to have gotten most (in fact I'd say all) of the good cards spoiled before the full set is revealed.
- Playable
Selfless Spirit (Chord/Company decks)
Haunted Dead (Dredge)
Emrakul, the Promised End (RG Tron)
- Reprint (or functional reprint)
Contingency Plan (Bubble Hulk plays Taigam's Scheming sometimes, as did the old Grixis Griselbrand deck before Jace, Vryn's Prodigy came along)
Terrarion (Eggs)
- SB 1-ofs
Collective Brutality
- Close, but unplayable
Providence
Coax from the Blind Eternities
Liliana, the Last Hope
Stromkirk Condemned
Eldritch Evolution (overrated)
Splendid Reclamation
- Unplayable
Blessed Alliance
Collective Effort (there's actually a card called Concerted Effort, don't confuse the two!)
Deploy the Gatewatch
Sigarda's Aid
Thalia, Heretic Cathar (overrated)
Thalia's Lancers
Fortune's Favor
Identity Thief
Imprisoned in the Moon
Lunar Force
Summary Dismissal
Unsubstantiate (overrated)
Oath of Liliana
Succumb to Temptation
Tree of Perdition (seriously)
Bedlam Reveler
Collective Defiance
Harmless Offering (see Tree of Perdition)
Mirrorwing Dragon
Nahiri's Wrath
Thermo-Alchemist
Crop Sigil
Ishkanah, Grafwidow
Permeating Mass
Tamiyo, Field Researcher
Eternal Scourge
Lone Rider (not even in Soul Sisters/Martyr Proc)
Curious Homunculus
Docent of Perfection
Lupine Prototype (my nickname for this guy is Ancient Watcher )
Soul Separator
Geier Reach Sanitarium
Nephalia Academy (overrated, Leyline of Sanctity is better)
Spirits, other than Selfless Spirit
Zombies (including Gisa and Geralf), other than Haunted Dead
Werewolves
Delirium cards (Whispers of Emrakul, Gnarlwood Dryad, Grim Flayer)
Emerge cards
Meld cards (even Hanweir Garrison by itself)
Take Inventory and Galvanic Bombardment
- Only one deck wants it, that deck will not be tier 2+
Borrowed Hostility (budget mono-red Swiftspear/Kiln Fiend decks)
Noose Constrictor, Bloodhall Priest, Olivia's Dragoon (Madness)
Kessig Prowler (mono-green Stompy)
Cathar's Shield (Cheeri0s)
- Last minute changes:
I probably underrated Emrakul when it was first spoiled. Bumped to playable.
I prefer Zombie Infestation in Madness, but I could see Olivia's Dragoon being used in its place.
Splendid Reclamation is pretty good with Ghost Quarter. It could be playable, but for now I think it's another Animist's Awakening.
Overall the set feels OK. They've introduced a lot of madness cards and enablers, so we'll see how that plays out. They're trying to push Spirit tribal too. One thing I dislike is how the combo cards all seem to cost a ridiculous amount of mana; there's no random 1-/2-mana enchantment that you can play early and spend turns building, like Pyromancer Ascension or Hardened Scales. Sigarda's Aid and Crop Sigil aren't what I'm looking for.
Madness
People are definitely going to try this out - it's a deck that has been played in Standard and Extended before, and they just printed a whole bunch of cards for it. I think it's good enough to hover between tier 2 and tier 3. It's not very fast, but it is very resilient.
I don't play Standard, but I think Madness should be playable there too. The Standard version would have more Vampire synergy, like Stromkirk Condemned and Stensia Masquerade. Modern Madness would be split 50/50 between Vampires and Zombies.
Spirits
Spirits got a lot of support in this set, but compared to every other tribal archetype out there, it's missing something that makes that archetype good. It doesn't have mana dorks, unlike Elves or Slivers. That's not a death sentence, but it would mean that you have to play AEther Vial, which limits your noncreature options. It doesn't have a 2-drop that draws a card or makes a token, unlike Merfolk, Elves or Goblins. It doesn't have a 2-mana lord, unlike Merfolk or Slivers. It doesn't have a big play like Ezuri or Master of Waves. The main things it has going for it is a flying Cursecatcher/Foundry Street Denizen (which doesn't grow as quickly as Denizen due to the lack of 2-drop token makers and 1-drop density), two cards which beat spot removal and board wipes individually, and Thoughtbind on a body. I don't expect it to be as successful as Madness (or even successful at all).
The best Spirit is Selfless Spirit, in Company/Chord decks, as an anti-removal bullet.
Zombies
They didn't get many playables from this set. Most of the support cards are expensive mill spells that don't even mill that much. Haunted Dead is probably the best card, but for Dredge.
Werewolves
People love to complain about Werewolves, I don't know why. It seems to garner an inordinate amount of hate compared to other mechanics that don't pan out. First it's about Ulrich sucking, then it's about Werewolves starting out in their wolf form and transforming into Eldrazi. I think between this and Slivers, by now WotC knows that it's a bad idea to screw around with the design of returning tribes.
Anyway, unplayable.
Delirium
I believe Delirium is a lot harder to achieve than what a lot of people think. You have to play cards like Mishra's Bauble to turn it on - a simple deck with just lands, creatures, instants, and a few sorceries isn't going to get there. Yes, the Delirium cards are all very strong if you can get delirium: 1-mana 3/3 deathtouch, 2-mana 4/4 trample, etc, but none of that matters if you can't. The fact that all these cards are cheap and aggressive puts you in a dilemma: you need to play your delirium creatures AND set up delirium with the limited amount of mana you have on turns 1-2. Setting up a 3/3 Nacatl or 4/5 Goyf is much easier, and you don't have to play Baubles in your deck.
Verdict: unplayable.
Emerge
It seems breakable, but now that all the cards are out my opinion is that it isn't. The emerge spells all have pretty high emerge costs, which means you have to sac something of substantial value to get them out, not just some random 1-drop that's outlived its usefulness. They have all those cool effects and big bodies, but since you have to sac a creature I view them as loosely equivalent to playing a big Aura, like Elder Mastery, on the creature you were going to sac. Suppose your opponent can't kill the creature you're trying to attach the Aura to, but that doesn't make a whole lot of difference.
This applies to Eldritch Evolution too - IMO it's overhyped. People love to call any green card that has the words "sacrifice a creature" or "search your library" the next Pod. Remember Evolutionary Leap?
Gimmicks
The Meld cards and Docent of Perfection feel like they were just trying to shoehorn mechanics from other TCGs into the set. Meld is Psychic Super Creatures from Duel Masters, and the Delver -> Researcher -> Docent series is basically Gigobyte from Yu-Gi-Oh.
Controlling another player rule
People love to make a big deal over rules changes. Legend rule = Geist is broken. Mulligan scry rule = Delver is broken. If you're playing Mindslaver, this change isn't going to make your deck unplayable. If you're not, it isn't going to make a difference in your mono-blue Tron matchup because your opponent can't look at your sideboard now.
Ulamog
Endless One
Missed on Blisterpod
Missed on Lumbering Falls
You didn't even mention ANY of the processors
Matter Reshaper
Reality Smasher
Kalitas
World Breaker
Nissa, Voice of Zendikar
Eldrazi Displacer
Goblin Dark Dwellers
There, now I'm good. Forgot about Zendikar block.
Maybe little more than few but I have had my share missed evaluations.
I just hate it when we see something for the first time and people instantly deem things as unplayable. It's ridiculous. Card evaluation is exceedingly difficult, almost impossible in a vacuum, and a card pool modern's size only amplifies the complexity. I have no problem with people saying 'I think these will work' and 'I don't think these will work' but Izzet EVERY set puts out his list of 'playable' and 'unplayable' cards and is consistently WAY off the mark.
Eldritch Evolution will see play, as a budget Chord replacement if nowhere else. Lupine Prototype might see play in 8-Rack as a fast clock, they were brewing with it on the 8-Rack thread I think.
Ulamog
Endless One
Missed on Blisterpod
Missed on Lumbering Falls
You didn't even mention ANY of the processors
Matter Reshaper
Reality Smasher
Kalitas
World Breaker
Nissa, Voice of Zendikar
Eldrazi Displacer
Goblin Dark Dwellers
There, now I'm good. Forgot about Zendikar block.
Maybe little more than few but I have had my share missed evaluations.
I just hate it when we see something for the first time and people instantly deem things as unplayable. It's ridiculous. Card evaluation is exceedingly difficult, almost impossible in a vacuum, and a card pool modern's size only amplifies the complexity. I have no problem with people saying 'I think these will work' and 'I don't think these will work' but Izzet EVERY set puts out his list of 'playable' and 'unplayable' cards and is consistently WAY off the mark.
I totally agree with it being almost impossible to evaluate cards in a vacuum there are so many variables to consider. A lot of cards look like slam dunks and never see play while other cards that seem unplayable become staples .
Two full blocks and four full sets from back to back "Returns" without any noteworthy reprints from two of the most powerful and popular planes in the modern era of Magic, right after it's announced that core sets are no longer being made and reprints will be done through "Return" sets.
Only half of Innistrad was a return set, the other half was Battle for Zendikar set 3.
You mean Rise of the Eldrazi part 4 - the Fall of the Eldrazi.
Except Eldritch Moon didn't derail the flavor of a plane like ROE did.
How about all the cards I got right? Tasigur, Kolaghan's Command, Molten Vortex, Magmatic Insight, Evolutionary Leap, Stormchaser Mage, BFZ duals, Brutal Expulsion...There's more, but I CBA to check now.
I believe in giving credit where credit is due. If you're going to bring up my failures, I'm not going to deny them. But at least try not to conveniently leave out all the cards I got right too, thanks.
I find picking good cards exciting, much like picking stocks or betting on sports teams. And much like stocks or sports, you can't get everything right all the time. That's fine though, I can accept that. I mean, even LSV gave TC a 2 out of 5, Kibler screwed up on Daybreak Ranger and PV never got Duskmantle Seer to work.
If you're going to use my list of picks to make fun of me, at least have the balls to post a similar list so that you can prove that you can do a better job. Show us all how good you are, I'd like to see that. You can you up, no can no BB.
Commander GUR Maelstrom Wanderer BWU Sydri, Galvanic Genius BGB Meren of Clan Nel Toth WGW Nazahn, Revered Bladesmith RRR Feldon of the Third Path WWW Heliod, God of the Sun
Ya know, izzet is mostly on the pessimistic side, but he actually is usually correct in over half his remarks about new cards, honestly a above 50% hit mark is very good and much higher than most people, if you like i can dredge through your post history when I get home on a computer and compare the two,
One of the challenging elements of assessing card evaluation records is checking the default assumption. If we assume every card is unplayable, which most cards actually are, then we're going to miss way less than if we assume the opposite. This is one reason I don't really care about people's miss/hit rate on calling a card "unplayable" when it turns out to be unplayable. Even if 15 cards ended up playable in EMN, we'd still have a 90%+ accuracy rate if we said the ENTIRE SET was unplayable. That's not really meaningful because that 10% is obviously the most interesting and important in the set.
It's much more interesting when someone says a card is playable and it is/isn't, or if someone says a card is unplayable and it turns out to suck. Those are the kinds of misses/hits we really want to look at.
I just hate it when we see something for the first time and people instantly deem things as unplayable. It's ridiculous. Card evaluation is exceedingly difficult, almost impossible in a vacuum, and a card pool modern's size only amplifies the complexity. I have no problem with people saying 'I think these will work' and 'I don't think these will work' but Izzet EVERY set puts out his list of 'playable' and 'unplayable' cards and is consistently WAY off the mark.
Please show me proof of you identifying all the good cards that I missed as playable, and all the bad cards that I missed as unplayable.
No need to worry about that, I don't edit these set evaluations. Besides, you can always use a cached version of the page.
I welcome you to post a list of your own evaluations as well, so that we can compare how we each did later. More appearances on mtgtop8 = more playable. You game?
I like Curious Homunculus/Chaos Reveler in a grixis deck with stubborn denial because prowess gives the plus 1 as soon as the card hits the field. Here is a rough list that I want to try.
How about all the cards I got right? Tasigur, Kolaghan's Command, Molten Vortex, Magmatic Insight, Evolutionary Leap, Stormchaser Mage, BFZ duals, Brutal Expulsion...There's more, but I CBA to check now.
I believe in giving credit where credit is due. If you're going to bring up my failures, I'm not going to deny them. But at least try not to conveniently leave out all the cards I got right too, thanks.
I find picking good cards exciting, much like picking stocks or betting on sports teams. And much like stocks or sports, you can't get everything right all the time. That's fine though, I can accept that. I mean, even LSV gave TC a 2 out of 5, Kibler screwed up on Daybreak Ranger and PV never got Duskmantle Seer to work.
If you're going to use my list of picks to make fun of me, at least have the balls to post a similar list so that you can prove that you can do a better job. Show us all how good you are, I'd like to see that. You can you up, no can no BB.
First - no disrespect intended, I just don't think your card evaluations are that on point. I think that your threshold for what you consider 'modern playable' is ridiculously high, and if you lowered it just a hair or two then more of your predictions would have been spot on.
Yes, you did get many cards correct. Good calls. Really.
I'm NOT implying that you shouldn't do what you're doing, I'm just saying that it's pretty hardcore to publish on the internet a list of 'playable' and 'unplayable' cards from every set. By doing so you're opening yourself up to a great deal of scrutiny.
With that said, no, I don't have the balls to do that. I'm wrong all the time. We all are. All I was really trying to get at is that I think we (the entire magic community) need to start recognizing just how ridiculously difficult untested card evaluation is.
Also, and this goes for everyone, I think modern is much more elastic than people are giving it credit for. We're seeing cards all over the place that are making splashes that people wouldn't have assumed would. There is a TON of power in our card pool and people inventing decks to emphasize newer cards are going to keep popping up, even if at cursory glances it was assumed that a card was unplayable because it didn't fit into a specific shell.
Lantern - I won't claim to ever say that cards are playable or unplayable. I LIKE a great deal of cards but I'm wrong all the time. Fully up front about that.
It's Serendib Efreet without the downside, with recursion and almost flash. This is nearly everything that a graveyard based control deck could want in a finisher. It can't block the turn it's brought back, but it's still really good.
Before people dismiss this idea, I'll note Emissary does pass the Bolt Test by replacing itself as it enters play. Also, if you have any of the emerge cards with flash, you can also sacrifice this in response to any removal even on the turn you cast it. Very sweet.
Selfless Spirit (Chord/Company decks)
Haunted Dead (Dredge)
Emrakul, the Promised End (RG Tron)
- Reprint (or functional reprint)
Contingency Plan (Bubble Hulk plays Taigam's Scheming sometimes, as did the old Grixis Griselbrand deck before Jace, Vryn's Prodigy came along)
Terrarion (Eggs)
- SB 1-ofs
Collective Brutality
- Close, but unplayable
Providence
Coax from the Blind Eternities
Liliana, the Last Hope
Stromkirk Condemned
Eldritch Evolution (overrated)
Splendid Reclamation
- Unplayable
Blessed Alliance
Collective Effort (there's actually a card called Concerted Effort, don't confuse the two!)
Deploy the Gatewatch
Sigarda's Aid
Thalia, Heretic Cathar (overrated)
Thalia's Lancers
Fortune's Favor
Identity Thief
Imprisoned in the Moon
Lunar Force
Summary Dismissal
Unsubstantiate (overrated)
Oath of Liliana
Succumb to Temptation
Tree of Perdition (seriously)
Bedlam Reveler
Collective Defiance
Harmless Offering (see Tree of Perdition)
Mirrorwing Dragon
Nahiri's Wrath
Thermo-Alchemist
Crop Sigil
Ishkanah, Grafwidow
Permeating Mass
Tamiyo, Field Researcher
Eternal Scourge
Lone Rider (not even in Soul Sisters/Martyr Proc)
Curious Homunculus
Docent of Perfection
Lupine Prototype (my nickname for this guy is Ancient Watcher )
Soul Separator
Geier Reach Sanitarium
Nephalia Academy (overrated, Leyline of Sanctity is better)
Spirits, other than Selfless Spirit
Zombies (including Gisa and Geralf), other than Haunted Dead
Werewolves
Delirium cards (Whispers of Emrakul, Gnarlwood Dryad, Grim Flayer)
Emerge cards
Meld cards (even Hanweir Garrison by itself)
Take Inventory and Galvanic Bombardment
- Only one deck wants it, that deck will not be tier 2+
Borrowed Hostility (budget mono-red Swiftspear/Kiln Fiend decks)
Noose Constrictor, Bloodhall Priest, Olivia's Dragoon (Madness)
Kessig Prowler (mono-green Stompy)
Cathar's Shield (Cheeri0s)
- Last minute changes:
I probably underrated Emrakul when it was first spoiled. Bumped to playable.
I prefer Zombie Infestation in Madness, but I could see Olivia's Dragoon being used in its place.
Splendid Reclamation is pretty good with Ghost Quarter. It could be playable, but for now I think it's another Animist's Awakening.
Overall the set feels OK. They've introduced a lot of madness cards and enablers, so we'll see how that plays out. They're trying to push Spirit tribal too. One thing I dislike is how the combo cards all seem to cost a ridiculous amount of mana; there's no random 1-/2-mana enchantment that you can play early and spend turns building, like Pyromancer Ascension or Hardened Scales. Sigarda's Aid and Crop Sigil aren't what I'm looking for.
People are definitely going to try this out - it's a deck that has been played in Standard and Extended before, and they just printed a whole bunch of cards for it. I think it's good enough to hover between tier 2 and tier 3. It's not very fast, but it is very resilient.
I don't play Standard, but I think Madness should be playable there too. The Standard version would have more Vampire synergy, like Stromkirk Condemned and Stensia Masquerade. Modern Madness would be split 50/50 between Vampires and Zombies.
Spirits
Spirits got a lot of support in this set, but compared to every other tribal archetype out there, it's missing something that makes that archetype good. It doesn't have mana dorks, unlike Elves or Slivers. That's not a death sentence, but it would mean that you have to play AEther Vial, which limits your noncreature options. It doesn't have a 2-drop that draws a card or makes a token, unlike Merfolk, Elves or Goblins. It doesn't have a 2-mana lord, unlike Merfolk or Slivers. It doesn't have a big play like Ezuri or Master of Waves. The main things it has going for it is a flying Cursecatcher/Foundry Street Denizen (which doesn't grow as quickly as Denizen due to the lack of 2-drop token makers and 1-drop density), two cards which beat spot removal and board wipes individually, and Thoughtbind on a body. I don't expect it to be as successful as Madness (or even successful at all).
The best Spirit is Selfless Spirit, in Company/Chord decks, as an anti-removal bullet.
Zombies
They didn't get many playables from this set. Most of the support cards are expensive mill spells that don't even mill that much. Haunted Dead is probably the best card, but for Dredge.
Werewolves
People love to complain about Werewolves, I don't know why. It seems to garner an inordinate amount of hate compared to other mechanics that don't pan out. First it's about Ulrich sucking, then it's about Werewolves starting out in their wolf form and transforming into Eldrazi. I think between this and Slivers, by now WotC knows that it's a bad idea to screw around with the design of returning tribes.
Anyway, unplayable.
Delirium
I believe Delirium is a lot harder to achieve than what a lot of people think. You have to play cards like Mishra's Bauble to turn it on - a simple deck with just lands, creatures, instants, and a few sorceries isn't going to get there. Yes, the Delirium cards are all very strong if you can get delirium: 1-mana 3/3 deathtouch, 2-mana 4/4 trample, etc, but none of that matters if you can't. The fact that all these cards are cheap and aggressive puts you in a dilemma: you need to play your delirium creatures AND set up delirium with the limited amount of mana you have on turns 1-2. Setting up a 3/3 Nacatl or 4/5 Goyf is much easier, and you don't have to play Baubles in your deck.
Verdict: unplayable.
Emerge
It seems breakable, but now that all the cards are out my opinion is that it isn't. The emerge spells all have pretty high emerge costs, which means you have to sac something of substantial value to get them out, not just some random 1-drop that's outlived its usefulness. They have all those cool effects and big bodies, but since you have to sac a creature I view them as loosely equivalent to playing a big Aura, like Elder Mastery, on the creature you were going to sac. Suppose your opponent can't kill the creature you're trying to attach the Aura to, but that doesn't make a whole lot of difference.
This applies to Eldritch Evolution too - IMO it's overhyped. People love to call any green card that has the words "sacrifice a creature" or "search your library" the next Pod. Remember Evolutionary Leap?
Gimmicks
The Meld cards and Docent of Perfection feel like they were just trying to shoehorn mechanics from other TCGs into the set. Meld is Psychic Super Creatures from Duel Masters, and the Delver -> Researcher -> Docent series is basically Gigobyte from Yu-Gi-Oh.
Controlling another player rule
People love to make a big deal over rules changes. Legend rule = Geist is broken. Mulligan scry rule = Delver is broken. If you're playing Mindslaver, this change isn't going to make your deck unplayable. If you're not, it isn't going to make a difference in your mono-blue Tron matchup because your opponent can't look at your sideboard now.
| Ad Nauseam
| Infect
Big Johnny.
It needs to be said that you have called the following cards unplayable or were off on their application completely:
Nahiri, The Harbinger
Traverse the Ulvenwald you pegged for being specifically good in ONLY Belcher
Dig Through Time
Treasure Cruise
Murderous Cut
Jeskai Ascendancy
Deflecting Palm
Ugin, The Spirit Dragon
You rated Tasigur's Cruelty as playable
Collected Company
So...
Modern Tallowisp Spirits - A Modern Tallowisp Deck UW
Eldrazi Ninjas - Summoning Octopus Jutsu YYYYAAAHHHH!
STANDARD
Naban Wizards
UR ....... WUBR ........... WB ............. RGW ........ UBR ....... WUB .... BGU
Spells / Blink & Combo / Token Grind / Dino Tribal / Draw Cards / Zombies / Reanimate
Sorry, not done.
Ulamog
Endless One
Missed on Blisterpod
Missed on Lumbering Falls
You didn't even mention ANY of the processors
Matter Reshaper
Reality Smasher
Kalitas
World Breaker
Nissa, Voice of Zendikar
Eldrazi Displacer
Goblin Dark Dwellers
There, now I'm good. Forgot about Zendikar block.
Cards that already have deck homes:
-Spell Queller (UWx midrange) (esper spirits)
-Mausoleum Wanderer (esper spirits/any deck with spectral procession)
-Chaos Reveler (delver, grixis control)
-Liliana, the Last Hope (grixis control sideboard, UB faeries)
-Thalia, Heretic Cathar (GW hatebears, eldrazi and taxes)
-Collective Brutality (sideboard tech against aggro)
-Selfless Soul (chord/abzan CoCo sideboard)
-Blessed Alliance (anti aggro sideboard tech)
-Cryptbreaker (dredgevine)
Cards that can spawn new decks:
-Noose Constrictor/Grim Flayer/Grapple with the Past (GB madness/dredgevine/delirium)
-Gnarlwood Dryad (delirium)
-Eldritch Evolution (old pod)
Cards that seem good but may not work out
-Imprisoned in the Moon
-Geier Reach Sanitarium
-Curious Homunculus (I want this to work out so badly)
-Nephalia Academy
-Bloodhall Priest
-Lone Rider
-unsubstantiate
-Gisa and Geralf
-Nahiri's Wrath
-Stunning Regrowth
-Succumb to Temptation
-Whispers of Emrakul
Decks I'm playing in Modern right now:
URB Grixis Reveler (http://www.mtgvault.com/supast4r7/decks/modern-grixis-reveler/)
UB Faeries (http://www.mtgvault.com/supast4r7/decks/ub-fae-2/)
UW Azorious Control (http://www.mtgvault.com/supast4r7/decks/modern-ojutai-control-2/)
Return to New Phyrexia.
Deceiver Exarch reprint, upped to Mythic Rare.
Only half of Innistrad was a return set, the other half was Battle for Zendikar set 3.
Decks I'm playing in Modern right now:
URB Grixis Reveler (http://www.mtgvault.com/supast4r7/decks/modern-grixis-reveler/)
UB Faeries (http://www.mtgvault.com/supast4r7/decks/ub-fae-2/)
UW Azorious Control (http://www.mtgvault.com/supast4r7/decks/modern-ojutai-control-2/)
I just hate it when we see something for the first time and people instantly deem things as unplayable. It's ridiculous. Card evaluation is exceedingly difficult, almost impossible in a vacuum, and a card pool modern's size only amplifies the complexity. I have no problem with people saying 'I think these will work' and 'I don't think these will work' but Izzet EVERY set puts out his list of 'playable' and 'unplayable' cards and is consistently WAY off the mark.
Anyone need Sakura-Tribe Elder 5-8?
Primal Druid
You mean Rise of the Eldrazi part 4 - the Fall of the Eldrazi.
Except Eldritch Moon didn't derail the flavor of a plane like ROE did.
I believe in giving credit where credit is due. If you're going to bring up my failures, I'm not going to deny them. But at least try not to conveniently leave out all the cards I got right too, thanks.
I find picking good cards exciting, much like picking stocks or betting on sports teams. And much like stocks or sports, you can't get everything right all the time. That's fine though, I can accept that. I mean, even LSV gave TC a 2 out of 5, Kibler screwed up on Daybreak Ranger and PV never got Duskmantle Seer to work.
If you're going to use my list of picks to make fun of me, at least have the balls to post a similar list so that you can prove that you can do a better job. Show us all how good you are, I'd like to see that. You can you up, no can no BB.
| Ad Nauseam
| Infect
Big Johnny.
Thinking some wierd BG discard deck with Waste Not:
Gravecrawler
Noose Constrictor
Olivia's Dragoon
Delirium Skeins flavor being it says delirium!
Grim Flayer
Abrupt Decay
Grisly Salvage?
Needs more zombies though...just tossing idea's out there.
GURB Grixis/Jund Shadow
RBG Dredge
xUx U Ballista Tron
Commander
GUR Maelstrom Wanderer
BWU Sydri, Galvanic Genius
BGB Meren of Clan Nel Toth
WGW Nazahn, Revered Bladesmith
RRR Feldon of the Third Path
WWW Heliod, God of the Sun
It's much more interesting when someone says a card is playable and it is/isn't, or if someone says a card is unplayable and it turns out to suck. Those are the kinds of misses/hits we really want to look at.
You can you up, no can no BB.
No need to worry about that, I don't edit these set evaluations. Besides, you can always use a cached version of the page.
I welcome you to post a list of your own evaluations as well, so that we can compare how we each did later. More appearances on mtgtop8 = more playable. You game?
| Ad Nauseam
| Infect
Big Johnny.
Mtg Grixis Denial
(12) Creatures:
3 Snapcaster Mage
1 Spellskite
3 Curious Homunculus
2 Tasigur, the Golden Fang
2 Gurmag Angler
1 Chaos Reveler
Instant/sorcery (28)
4 Thought Scour
3 Stubborn Denial
4 Serum Visions
4 Lightning bolt
3 Kolaghan’s Command
2 Terminate
1 Go for the throat
1 Dreadbore
3 Remand
3 Mana Leak
Land 20
Decks I'm playing in Modern right now:
URB Grixis Reveler (http://www.mtgvault.com/supast4r7/decks/modern-grixis-reveler/)
UB Faeries (http://www.mtgvault.com/supast4r7/decks/ub-fae-2/)
UW Azorious Control (http://www.mtgvault.com/supast4r7/decks/modern-ojutai-control-2/)
First - no disrespect intended, I just don't think your card evaluations are that on point. I think that your threshold for what you consider 'modern playable' is ridiculously high, and if you lowered it just a hair or two then more of your predictions would have been spot on.
Yes, you did get many cards correct. Good calls. Really.
I'm NOT implying that you shouldn't do what you're doing, I'm just saying that it's pretty hardcore to publish on the internet a list of 'playable' and 'unplayable' cards from every set. By doing so you're opening yourself up to a great deal of scrutiny.
With that said, no, I don't have the balls to do that. I'm wrong all the time. We all are. All I was really trying to get at is that I think we (the entire magic community) need to start recognizing just how ridiculously difficult untested card evaluation is.
Also, and this goes for everyone, I think modern is much more elastic than people are giving it credit for. We're seeing cards all over the place that are making splashes that people wouldn't have assumed would. There is a TON of power in our card pool and people inventing decks to emphasize newer cards are going to keep popping up, even if at cursory glances it was assumed that a card was unplayable because it didn't fit into a specific shell.
Lantern - I won't claim to ever say that cards are playable or unplayable. I LIKE a great deal of cards but I'm wrong all the time. Fully up front about that.