MTG Salvation

These are the first pre-cons in a long time that don't seem like watered down versions of a good idea. These feel like cohesive 75% commander decks that are fun to play, or play against.

Well done, wizards. Well done.

Those Ob Nixilis sleeves are so good I almost forgot they were ultra pro for a second there.

There is absolutely no reason she shouldn't cost 1GG. If that's somehow too good, at LEAST start her with 5 loyalty; or have her Naturalize cost -1.

She is, in my opinion, the most underwhelming card in the set, especially since Freyalise is such an awesome character.

Going along with things other posters noted, possibly the most important part of this card is that we haven't seen any effect like this other than Spine of Ish Sah, which is notably total garbage unless you have a way to abuse it, and Karn Liberated, who is not only price-prohibitive but less abuse-able than Spine.

The fact that Painter's Servant remains banned makes me a sad panda.
Metalworker is a card I never gave much thought to, but now that I have, it makes sense to be unbanned.
And removing the banned-as-commanders list is not a welcome change, but it's nothing to cry about.

Also, some men just want to watch the world burn...

Quote from ShadowFenril »

Aw, was kind of hoping to see Top and Scroll Rack banned. These changes don't affect any of my decks this time.

Quote from ShadowFenril »

was kind of hoping to see Top and Scroll Rack banned. These changes don't

Quote from ShadowFenril »

hoping to see Top and Scroll Rack banned.

"Shots fired." - Sarkhan Vol

MaRo, I have a confession:
When I read the text, I assumed it had gotten rare-washed.
I'm sorry I had little faith.
Forgive me, o great pizza overlord.

Do people honestly forget how amazing Summoning Trap was in Valakut, or am I missing something? Hell, Valakut only played 4 Prime Time and 2-4 Avengers, and it was STILL ridiculous. How anyone can complain about See the Unwritten is astounding to me.

Oh yeah, and Ascendancy is good, as many other have said.

Quote from Anssi »

Quote from Creedmoor »

On the strange topic of Browbeat:

I can't always agree with the logic that if your opponent gets the choice of part of your card ability, it's bad. Fact or Fiction is one of the best blue draws spells of my time, at least, and your opponent gets a choice in that. I'm not saying Browbeat is good, but I wouldn't call it a bad card. In the right deck it won't matter what your opponent picks because you'll be happy with either one.

On the relevant topic of spoilers:

I hope everyone is ready to see Sarkhan Vol!

First of with FoF you get the final choice which is huge. FoF also is very consistant, when you play it you know you are going to draw cards. Maybe it will be 4-mana impulse if you need it to be, but it might just as well be opportunity.

Vexing Devil is probably better comparison to Browbeat. It will fairly consistenly do damage to your opponent for one mana. Only reason it is good/ok is because it cheap enough. While Browbeats both sides are good in burn, 3 mana is just too much as you when your opponent let's you draw they would pretty much be dead to any other burn anyways or they are racing you and you don't have time utilize the cards you draw. Browbeat would easy 4-of in burn if it cost RR. But it doesn't

And therein lies the problem with Tribute.

Let me elaborate. If Browbeat cost RR, not only would it be an easy 4-of in burn, it would be flat-out broken. Having worse than the worse of those two effects is very well-costed at 3 mana, but ridiculous at 2.

Now, let's take, say, Snake of the Golden Grove, for example. At 5-mana, it's a good mid/top-end in limited, and pretty solid for a common. If it cost 4, even if it was 2GG, it would either be Obstinate Baloth, or the most aggressively costed green 4-drop ever, especially at common. Similarly good examples are Pharagax Giant, and Flame-Wreathed Phoenix, but really, it applies to every card with tribute (except, perhaps, Fanatic of Xenagos.)

So, how to fix such a problem for constructed? Eliminate variance! Seems easy enough, but it isn't. At the point where you make the opponent's choice insignificant enough for Tribute to not be a risk, the mechanic loses a need to exist.

It's a solid limited mechanic, but it was doomed for constructed from the start.

The most exciting part of this is that the tri-lands don't use the land arts that were spoiled at comic-con; which coincidentally fit the Zendikar fetches perfectly.

Sultai Brood and the The Jeskai Way are my top two for now, with such limited knowledge. But since all of them look completely badass, my mind could change easily.

But with that being said, there's very little they could do in Magic that would top the appearance of Rakshasa in Sultai.

Not trying to be mean spirited, but all of these are very complicated, and they all (with the exception of Dragoneye Army, which is very mediocre) basically read "win the game." Cruel Ultimatum turned out a bit too good for control in standard, so I really doubt they'd print 4 cards that are far superior than it in the cycle.

Also, being perfectly honest, I really doubt we'll see anything exactly like the ultimatums in Khans.

Quote from unorthodoxconqueror »

Quote from Henge Guardian »

I had an extra rare in my seeded pack at prerelease (Promo Indulgent Tormentor, In Garruk's Wake and Cruel Sadist.)

I would rather have had the common or uncommon than cruel sadist

Um.

Have you... even played with OR against Cruel Sadist in limited?
?
...

Yeah, that's what I thought

Green, because Restock is uncommon.

Restock. Is. Uncommon.
Green is based limited.