Great set overall! This is probably one of the best sets I've seen in a long time in terms of design and power level balance. There's a lot of variety to choose from and there isn't anything horribly broken (that I'm aware of at least).
Here's what I'm looking to add / test. Some more cards might slip in last minute once I comb through the set again.
This is pretty strong. I do like it more than Torrential Gearhulk since it's cheaper, although I already replaced that. This is one of the better blue 5-cmc creatures, although it is in a crowded space in general with other blue 5s like Mystic Conflunece / Treachery / Bribery, not to mention the two new blue spree cards. They're all good, just gotta pick your poison.
New Sun Titan. This is generally better all around except that this lacks an attack trigger. I'd argue a 5/5 flyer with lifelink is better than a 6/6 with vigilance. Upgrading the recursion to 4-cmc is HUGE, especially for white with Palace Jailer / Seasoned Dungeoneer / every planeswalker imagineable. Also randomly has encore if a game stalls out. This is a nice upgrade to Sun Titan, although it does have a good amount of competition with the cheaper Guardian Scalelord.
A new artifacts matters land that's kind of reminiscent of Azcanta, the Sunken Ruin. This require you to discard a card, but it at least doesn't require you to jump through hoops just to be a land. This can dig pretty hard in the right deck, and this is just a straight up Impulse effect where you're not restricted in what type of card you can choose. It's a bit slow, but I like it more than something like Academy Ruins which I've never been a fan of.
The cheap mode is a huge part of what makes this card good.
You will mostly be casting it for the cheap mode.
Better body also, which is a big reason why Necron Deathmark is so good. Primaris Eliminator never felt great unless you were sweeping. The flexibility of being able to channel this for 2 mana is more desirable to me than the flexibility of the Murder mode in a control deck. This having a big body, ability to sweep, and having a channel ability really makes this much more versatile than other creatures with ETB sweep modes.
Other cards are more valuable in midrange decks, but black control decks specifically need more tools like this. I think it's at least worth testing or as a holdover until something better comes around. This + Nuclear Fallout is a good jolt in the arm for black control.
Necron Deathmark is a card that I tested out of the blue alongside Royal Warden. I predicted Warden would test much better, but Necron Deathmark ended up vastly over performing my expectations and has been a huge hit in my playgroup. It's often a 3 for 1 in combat and can kill you really fast afterwards. It often feels like a mono black Fractured Identity with the added benefit of being a creature and an artifact.
On one hand, this is more versatile than Necron Deathmark since it's modal and can bin itself in the graveyard. On the other hand, it's a more narrow effect than Necron Deathmark and its symmetry means it can't just be shoved into any deck like Necron Deathmark can. Still, its ability to sweep away small creatures in combination with menace makes it a reliable stabilizer / win condition in the late game. Not being able to sweep away larger creatures isn't too much of an issue since black can already deal with any sized creatures / planeswalkers fairly reliable anyways.
Having slept on Necron Deathmark, I don't want to sleep on this one as well. It's definitely at least worth a test, especially since control could use some more help slowing the game down.
If it was "Your opponent's creatures", then I think this would be a very good card, but since its "all other creatures", then this make it a weak to unplayable option for toolbox decks, thus really limiting it.
This is more of a flexible card for control, not so much for a toolbox midrange card. Need to think of it like Wrath of God / Damnation and build around its symmetrical effects. I'm always looking to give control more options, so I might give this a test.
A new Shriekmaw variant that sweeps up small creatures. The flexibility is really nice, although the ETB trigger can be detrimental to you as well. This can be very matchup dependent and is pretty useless against a lot of combo decks, but it still has evasion and hits hard by itself. This is a good option if you're looking for more versatile removal / sweepers for control decks.
I'm always down for more beefy green 3 drops like Sentinel of the Nameless City / Cemetery Prowler. Going wide is always good for Gaea's Cradle and more artifacts is always nice to have.
Being able to activate this on turn 3 is really nice compared to something like Shelldock Isle. But then again those white weenie (and white in general) really aren't making the most of hideaway unless you're in a GWx Natural Order deck or something. Overall I think I'd rather just have Staff of the Storyteller, which actually puts a body on the board and is a better engine overall. White 2s are also getting ridiculously stacked now, especially with the new Ajani.
Not bad, but far from great, IMO. While this is technically a Mulldrifter with Baneslayer Angel stats, two food isn't exactly the most exciting ETB trigger and is mainly there for its attack trigger. There are so many great green 4s like Questing Beast / Undermountain Adventurer / Ulvenwald Oddity / Caldaia Guardian (which is really more of a 3), not to mention non creatures like Esika's Chariot / Garruk Relentless / Garruk Wildspeaker.
This compares more to Rabblemaster variants than it does to Sulfuric Vortex, you're just trading the persistence of the tokens for a more sturdy token generator. As a pure aggro card, I like Sulfuric Vortex better since it's harder to stop and can't be blocked. Also I know that you don't support initiative, which would otherwise make Sulfuric Vortex even more of a double-edged sword. Urabrask's Forge really doesn't do anything that differentiates it from a Rabblemaster, where Vortex does.
I just really wish this was able to sacrifice itself.
The original translation I read was wrong and said that it can only sacrifice itself, it made me think this was Bonecrusher Giant 2.0. That being said, this is still a pretty strong card. This pairs well especially with white. Thraben Inspectors / Staff of the Storyteller / Glimmerlens are cheap spells that make 2 game objects, and white can blink for more shocks. This also helps big ramp artifact decks being good in the early game and letting you cash your excessive mana rocks / treasures in the late game for bodies. Extra sacrifice fodder for Bombardiers / Gut is always nice, and this is another win condition for Worldgorger Dragon.
I think it's better in many more decks than three steps ahead, but three steps ahead has much higher upside (blue artifact ramp decks), so
I have trouble comparing them without seeing them in action.
Yeah, this has a better floor (probably more so than any Spree card since Quench is a very legitimate effect and this is on rate), but also a much lower ceiling. The deciding factor for me between this and Three Steps Ahead is that I'd cube Quench before I would cube Cancel / Catalog. This also does a mini Torrential Gearhulk impression at 5 mana which isn't awful, but definitely one of the lower ceilings for these spree cards.
Here's what I'm looking to add / test. Some more cards might slip in last minute once I comb through the set again.
WHITE
Dust Animus
Aven Interrupter
Angel of Indemnity (maybe)
BLUE
Duelist of the Mind
Phantom Interference
Smirking Spelljacker (maybe)
BLACK
Hostile Investigator (maybe)
Harvester of Misery
RED
Slickshot Show-Off
Legion Extruder
GREEN
Sandstorm Salvager
Vaultborn Tyrant
Smuggler's Surprise
Goldvein Hydra
OTHER
Pillage the Bog
Lavaspur Boots
Fomori Vault
New Sun Titan. This is generally better all around except that this lacks an attack trigger. I'd argue a 5/5 flyer with lifelink is better than a 6/6 with vigilance. Upgrading the recursion to 4-cmc is HUGE, especially for white with Palace Jailer / Seasoned Dungeoneer / every planeswalker imagineable. Also randomly has encore if a game stalls out. This is a nice upgrade to Sun Titan, although it does have a good amount of competition with the cheaper Guardian Scalelord.
A new artifacts matters land that's kind of reminiscent of Azcanta, the Sunken Ruin. This require you to discard a card, but it at least doesn't require you to jump through hoops just to be a land. This can dig pretty hard in the right deck, and this is just a straight up Impulse effect where you're not restricted in what type of card you can choose. It's a bit slow, but I like it more than something like Academy Ruins which I've never been a fan of.
Better body also, which is a big reason why Necron Deathmark is so good. Primaris Eliminator never felt great unless you were sweeping. The flexibility of being able to channel this for 2 mana is more desirable to me than the flexibility of the Murder mode in a control deck. This having a big body, ability to sweep, and having a channel ability really makes this much more versatile than other creatures with ETB sweep modes.
Other cards are more valuable in midrange decks, but black control decks specifically need more tools like this. I think it's at least worth testing or as a holdover until something better comes around. This + Nuclear Fallout is a good jolt in the arm for black control.
On one hand, this is more versatile than Necron Deathmark since it's modal and can bin itself in the graveyard. On the other hand, it's a more narrow effect than Necron Deathmark and its symmetry means it can't just be shoved into any deck like Necron Deathmark can. Still, its ability to sweep away small creatures in combination with menace makes it a reliable stabilizer / win condition in the late game. Not being able to sweep away larger creatures isn't too much of an issue since black can already deal with any sized creatures / planeswalkers fairly reliable anyways.
Having slept on Necron Deathmark, I don't want to sleep on this one as well. It's definitely at least worth a test, especially since control could use some more help slowing the game down.
This is more of a flexible card for control, not so much for a toolbox midrange card. Need to think of it like Wrath of God / Damnation and build around its symmetrical effects. I'm always looking to give control more options, so I might give this a test.
A new Shriekmaw variant that sweeps up small creatures. The flexibility is really nice, although the ETB trigger can be detrimental to you as well. This can be very matchup dependent and is pretty useless against a lot of combo decks, but it still has evasion and hits hard by itself. This is a good option if you're looking for more versatile removal / sweepers for control decks.
While Urabrask's Forge is an artifact itself, it doesn't produce artifact creatures.
The original translation I read was wrong and said that it can only sacrifice itself, it made me think this was Bonecrusher Giant 2.0. That being said, this is still a pretty strong card. This pairs well especially with white. Thraben Inspectors / Staff of the Storyteller / Glimmerlens are cheap spells that make 2 game objects, and white can blink for more shocks. This also helps big ramp artifact decks being good in the early game and letting you cash your excessive mana rocks / treasures in the late game for bodies. Extra sacrifice fodder for Bombardiers / Gut is always nice, and this is another win condition for Worldgorger Dragon.
Yeah, this has a better floor (probably more so than any Spree card since Quench is a very legitimate effect and this is on rate), but also a much lower ceiling. The deciding factor for me between this and Three Steps Ahead is that I'd cube Quench before I would cube Cancel / Catalog. This also does a mini Torrential Gearhulk impression at 5 mana which isn't awful, but definitely one of the lower ceilings for these spree cards.