http://www.channelfireball.com/videos/channel-zemanjaski-standard-rw-burn/
CFB Player Zem playing updated RW Burn through an 8-man.
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zemanjaski posted a message on Boros Burn T8 Atlanta PTQ 02/16/14Posted in: Standard Archives -
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zemanjaski posted a message on Boros Burn T8 Atlanta PTQ 02/16/14Here is my article covering my 23rd place finish at Grand Prix Melbourne with Boros Burn: http://www.channelfireball.com/articles/playing-with-fire-gp-melbourne-report-23rd-with-boros-burn/Posted in: Standard Archives
The article includes observations about the deck, its place in the meta, and strategic play and sideboarding advice. -
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TheMagicManSam posted a message on [[Official]] Izzet Burn (Standard, Theros)hey duders.Posted in: Standard Archives
I have the new gameplay series up on my channel. This time we take on Mono Blue Devotion:
Hidden Strings on Guttersnipe is our all-star here. I do agree that the combo is cute and unreliable, but I did catch some fun interactions on camera, so enjoy! -
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SWOLEKING posted a message on Magic DealsThis idea comes out of several threads on black friday deals and the recent buy one get one free boosters at walgreens (through december 7th).Posted in: Market Street Café
Why don't we have a sticky here in market street where members can post deals that are from large retailers, their local LGS, or online retailers? I would even go through the trouble of updating the OP daily with any ongoing deals.
Currently updating, at work ATM
Online retailer ongoing deals:
LGS specific deals:
Dragon's Maze Fat pack @ 19.99 http://www.coolstuffinc.com/p/183193
Note: if you buy 4 of these, you end up with the same amount of boosters as the booster box (priced at 77.99) but get 280 lands, 8 deck boxes, and 4 spindown life counters for a 2 dollar premium. Don't forget, free shipping for orders over 100 dollars!Guild pack @ 12.99 http://www.coolstuffinc.com/p/188163
Large Retailer ongoing deals:
Other:
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spooky posted a message on Getting Started in Legacy and Legacy Budget Primer v3Posted in: Legacy ArchivesLegacy on a Budget
I. Introduction
II. Tips on How to Save Money
-Using What You Have
-Using What You Don’t Have
-Programs
-Borrowing
-Budget Replacements
-Change Jar
-Helpful Links
III. Decks- Established
- Burn
- Landless Dredge
- Sligh-Affinity
- Dredge
- Oops All Spells
- Pox
- Aggro Elves
- The Gate
- Affinity
- Combo Elves
- Merfolk
IV. Decks- Rogue
- Vampires
- Tainted Shadow
- Suicide Black
- Sac-Land Tendrils
- Nauseous Grace
- Living End
- Kiln Fiend
- Shoal Infect
- Infect
- Black Weenie
- Soul Sisters
- Polymorph
- Mono Blue Tempo
- Mono Green Beats
- Soldier Stompy
- Quest
- Black Plague
- Weird Elves
- Cheerios
- Knights
- Goblin Storm
- Contamination Control
- Hypergenesis
- White Tokens
- Spring Tide
- Demon Stompy
- White Weenie
- Mono-White Life
- Berserk Stompy
- Infect Stompy
- Green Stompy
- Dark Depths
V. Decks- Super Budget
- Aura Aggro
- Aura Combo
- Boo Berry Version 1
- About Face
- Twisted Image
- CascaBalance
- Martyrdom Goblins
- Rogues
- Green Infect
- Eggs
- Transmuter Combo
- Mono Black Control
- Zenith Fangorn Forest
- Aggro Elves
- Green Urza Tron
- Phasenought
- New Alara Aggro
- Mono-Red Storm
- Boo Berry Version 2
- Wildfire
- Kithkins
- G/W Gnarly
- G/B Pod
- White Weenie
- G/B Vengevine
- Gruul Aggro
- Varolz Combo
- Mono-White Control
- Mister Green Storm
VI. Final Notes and Additional Reading
VII. Updates and Edits Log
I. Introduction
IntroductionHello and welcome to the “Getting Started in Legacy- Legacy on a Budget” thread! This thread is here for a few reasons, the main one being to help out anyone who is looking at getting into the Legacy format without spending a ton of money. If you have never played legacy before, or even if it is your “go to” format, you can use this thread to know what your options are for inexpensive decks, should you be looking for any. In this thread you will find a vast amount of information on how to save money while still being able to play at a competitive level. You will also find links to articles and videos that will help you become a better Magic player. Feel free to post in this thread if you have any questions about legacy, a specific archetype, or just have a little advice for me or anyone else. That’s all for this introduction so let’s get started!
II. Tips on How to Save Money
Using what you have
An obvious staring point is to try and find what cards in legacy are most commonly used and then checking to see which ones you own. By doing this you can find out which archetypes you are closest to owning already. You can find a comprehensive list of what cards are commonly used in legacy here and ,here and a nice list of the top decks in legacy and their prices here. That of course, is if you are lucky enough to own a few staples already. More so than anything this thread is here for those of us who don’t really own a lot of (read as “any”) staples, but you can use the list provided to try and match something up with what you do own.
Using What You Don’t Have
Making Proxies
To make a proxy of a card is to use other cards, paper or pretty much anything you can to represent cards that you do not own. Obviously this is not for competitive play purposes and you are not making counterfeits. Rather, doing this lets you prepare for a tournament. Before you spend your entire paycheck on a set of cards, or a deck, proxy that sucker out and play test with it. Doing so can help you understand how the card changes the deck or, in the case of making an entire proxy deck, how the deck plays. Better to spend a couple pages of paper cutting out copies of cards than to spend $250 on a deck only to find that you really don’t like it. I really cannot stress this enough. Making proxies of cards and decks will save you more money than you can ever imagine.
Programs
Similar to making proxies, you can also use a Magic computer program to make a deck and test it before you spend the money on it. I use Cockatrice, but there are a plethora of choices. This all comes down to preference, but it is much easier to test an idea with a buddy over the internet than to call them up and have them drive over and help you cut out pieces of paper.
Borrowing
Yet another extremely important money saving strategy. Sharing is caring. When getting into the legacy scene it’s unrealistic to assume you own every staple card needed to build whatever deck you want to use. You would not be in this thread if you did. You know who does though? Everyone else! This is where borrowing comes into play. When you start going to legacy tournaments it’s good to make some friends here and there at whatever place you regularly go to. Do some trades, get to know people. It’s not rocket science, just try to be a nice person. Help people out by letting them borrow decks or cards that you own. This way, when the time comes, you can borrow decks and cards from them.
Placing high in a tournament usually yields store credit. This means if you place high in enough tournaments you will be able to actually buy any cards you had to borrow in the past without spending any money. Just remember when you finally get your own versions of those cards to thank whoever let you borrow their stuff in the first place. Also, don't forget later on to help newbies that are going through what you are likely to experience soon. Magic is a community, if you are nice to people, they will be nice to you.
Budget Replacements
Of all the tips I can give this one is my least favorite. To quote Drew Levin…
I really agree with this quote, however, sometimes you are pretty close to finishing what is considered an established deck. Maybe you have every card that makes up Legacy Reanimator except for the dual lands and fetch lands. In this case is it ok to make the deck anyways, using a budget land base? I would say yes. Now, what cards can be used to replace others is all very subjective. Because of this I will not be listing any common budget replacements here, but if you have a question regarding what can replace a specific set of cards for your deck just post in this thread and we will help you figure it all out.”The problem with budget decks in Legacy is that they often try to be strictly inferior versions of the expensive decks[...] People want to play the 'good' decks, but by constraining the deck to fit your budget, you sacrifice a lot of what makes the deck good to begin with.”
Change Jar
On of the most simple, yet helpful things you can do. Find some random jar that can hold a good amount of change and label it "Legacy spending money" or "My shiny new Force of Will Play set". Whatever works for you is fine. Every night, before you go to sleep, empty your pockets into the jar. No matter how small the amount, it all adds up. I promise this will be worth it. Last time I emptied mine it became a play set of Lions Eye Diamonds! Doing this allows you to actually be able to buy food, pay rent, or whatever you need to do to live, while still being able to get good decks for your favorite hobby.
Helpful Links
The Cockatrice Download Location
Cockatrice is the program I use for making and testing decks online with my buddies. You can download it for free here
Magic Cards info site
Magiccards.info is a great site for making proxies of cards to print out, as it sizes them perfectly for you and is easy to navigate. You can find it here.
FubsyGamer
This guy is kind of new to the whole “teaching people how to play” concept, so his videos still have a bit of tweaking and polishing to go through. That being said, he knows what he is talking about and for the most part the information he gives is presented well. Really worth a look if you want to learn more about the format. Really it’s about time someone stepped up and did something like this. You can find his youtube channel here.
Good reading for getting into legacy
My Budget Articles
I write a series of articles for this website that is based on playing the Legacy format on a budget. If you are looking for an in depth look at many of the decks I present here then these articles are probably where you should go. Also, I release articles a lot more than I will be updating this thread, so if you are looking for new decks down the road it would probably be safer to look at my list of articles than to come here every month hoping I updated this thread with new decks. You can like my articles on Facebook to receive notifications when a new article is released, as well as updated deck lists.
Squandered Resources: White Weenie and Budget Legacy
Squandered Resources: Burn and Budget Legacy
Squandered Resources: Combo and Budget Legacy
Squandered Resources: Super Budget Super Series 1
Squandered Resources: Super Budget Super Series 2
Squandered Resources: Super Budget Super Series 3
Squandered Resources: Black and Budget Legacy
Squandered Resources: Super Budget Super Series 4
Squandered Resources: Blue and Budget Legacy
Squandered Resources: Red and Budget Legacy
Squandered Resources: Green and Budget Legacy
Squandered Resources: Super Budget Super Series 5
Squandered Resources: White and Budget Legacy
Squandered Resources: Lands are for Losers
Squandered Resources: Bringing Back the Dead and Making New Friends
Squandered Resources: Super Budget Super Series 6
Squandered Resources: Halloween Special
Breaking Into Eternal
A guide to getting into eternal formats by Brian Demars-Vintage Avant-Garde - Breaking Into Eternal: Getting Cards Without Paying A Fortune by Brian DeMars
The Griffon Events Tournament Primer
Arthur Edson over at Griffonevents.com wrote a really nice primer on getting ready for tournament magic. You can find the primer here. He goes over some basics for anybody that has never been to a Legacy tournament before but are planning on doing it in the future. Definitly something you should check out if you have never played in a Magic tournament.
“What deck should I play?” Thread
Here on MTGSali we have a thread built specifically for people to ask other user’s opinions on what deck they should play. This is definitely a thread to check out if you are not sure what you should be taking to a tournament. You can find the thread here.
“Getting into Legacy” Thread
A nice thread here on MTGSali that can help point you in the right direction as far as where you should look if you are just starting legacy. You can find the thread here.
III - V. Decks
Because of a lack of space the three deck sections have been moved to separate posts. Please see the following three posts for deck lists.
VI. Final Notes and Additional Reading
Price Guides
Xeno Ninja Has made a list of a good number of the decks in legacy and exactly how much each would cost you if you hard bought every card. You can find the list here.
The Format
Use these articles, written by the best of the best in terms of magic minds, to get to know the format a little better.
The Long And Winding Road – The Legacy Cookbook: Spring 2011 by Matt Elias
So Many Insane Plays - Your Complete Guide to Legacy: The 50 Decks of Legacy by Stephen Menendian
Vintage Avant-Garde - What You NEED To Know About 10 Of The Best Legacy Decks by Brian DeMars
Starcitygames.com Legacy / Type 1.5 Article Center
Playing Better Magic
These are some great articles that help you in the actual playing department of magic. Whether it be getting ready for a big tournament, or just plain not forgetting to rez that ichorid before you draw, these guys have it covered for you. I can vouch for every one of these articles and how informative they are. Don't skip over these, read them, you will come out of it with a much better understanding of this game and how to play it.
Eternal On The Other Side Of The Ocean - Building A Gauntlet by Carsten Kotter
The Long & Winding Road – You, But Better by Matt Elias
Flow of Ideas – The Most Important Word in Magic by Gavin Verhey
Flow of Ideas: So You Want To Win A PTQ? by Gavin Verhey
VII. Updates and Edits Log
-08-27-2012- Originally posted
-09-24-2012- "Finished"
-11/14/2012- Separated into 4 separate posts so that all new content could be included. I was not able to fit everything I wanted to fit into the original post as there was too much text. =/ Also added some new decks to the Super budget Section.
-11/19/2012- Fixed a bunch of typos and added a link to the Cascabalance primer.
-2/18/2013-
Updated the Sac Land Tendrils list in the Rogue Section
Updated the Suicide Black list in the Rogue Section (Desecration Demon is good)
Updated the G/B Infect list in the Rogue Section (Price increase of Land base forced changes)
Updated the Black Weenie list in the Rogue Section (First Strike with Jitte is good)
Updated the White Weenie list in the Rogue Section (Turns out Meekstone and Dryad Militant are really good)
Updated Demon Stompy list in the Rogue Section (Changed the land base and added Desecration Demon)
Updated Solidarity list in the Rogue Section
Updated Gruul Aggro in the Super Budget Section (Gatecrash had some new toys. Also, Vexing Devil is good with Bloodbraid Elf)
Updated Mono Black Control in the Super Budget Section (Turns out Sorin Markov is better than I thought he was)
Updated New Alara Aggro in the Super Budget Section (Civic Saber is really good)
Added the White Splash version of Aura Gnarly to the list of decks (Super Budget)
Added Mono Blue Tempo to the list of decks (Rogue)
Added Merfolk to the list of decks (Established)
Fixed some random typos and wording.
-3/2/2013-
Added information about the new Squandered Resources Facebook page.
-3/15/2013-
Updated the Fangorn Forest list. Turns out Collective Voyage is really good in the deck, and allows for the use of additional bombs. Even better, the deck is $10 cheaper now!
-3/15/2013-
Added deck from my recent Green and Budget Legacy article
Updated the About Face and Twisted Image Lists
Fixed some links
-6/1/2013-
Added Soldier Stompy to the Rogue section
Added Phasenought to the Super Budget section
Added Wildfire to the Super Budget section
-6/28/2013-
Added Landless Dredge to the Rogue section
Added Oops All Spells to the Established section
Updated some lists.
-11/14/2013-
Added Nauseous Grace to the Rogue section
Added Black Plague to the Rogue section
Added DArk Depths to the Rogue section
Added Mono Red Control to the Rogue section
Added Mono Black Reanimator to the Rogue section
Added Helm Enchantress to the Rogue section
Added G/B Pod to the Super Budget section
Added G/B Vengevine to the Super Budget section
Added Varolz Combo to the Super Budget section
Updated Soldier Stompy to include Precinct Captain, Commander Eesha and Soltari Champion.
Updated Kiln Fiend to include Young Pyromancer
Updated Tainted Shadow to include Toxic Deluge and Gitaxian Probe
Updated Knights to include Spectral Rider. Also, removed Flagstones of Trokair because it was not needed.
Updated New Alara Aggro to include Birds of Paradise
Updated Aura Gnarly to include Alpha Authority and Boon Satyr
Updated the Cheerios List- It is now a very different deck.
Changed the name of Quest to reference a relatively unknown band.
Updated the Cockatrice download location
Updated Squandered Resources article list
-12/1/2013-
Updated Gruul Aggro to include My Superion, Burning-Tree Emissary, Flesh // Blood and Tinder Wall. The deck is much better than it used to be. I am really enjoying playing it. Super explosive.
Updated Martyrdom Goblins to include Krenko, Mob boss and additional Reckless Abandon. Still iffy about the strength of the deck, but this should help.
Updated Phasenought to Include Delver of Secrets. Tried to avoid it, but the guy is just too good, and Vision Charm was not enough to reliably "transform" Phantasm.
Updated Boo Berry version 1 to include Phantasmagorian. Brainstorm and Careful Study were not enough to get essential pieces out of your hand.
Updated About Face to include Hearth Charm. The card seems stronger than lightning bolt in the combo deck.
More Updates to come soon!
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Prid3 posted a message on Cz's Theros Multiplayer Set ReviewReading Guide:Posted in: Multiplayer
This review is ordered as the cards appear on the MTGS visual spoiler (aka alphabetically). This is to make things easier for you to follow along at home. If you're looking for a specific card (one that was recently spoiled for example) good old ctrl + f is just as handy as it's ever been. You don't have to scour the entire review to find it :P.
Rating Scale:
5: Would strongly consider playing this card in any deck that could reasonably support it. Powerful enough to build around if needed since it figures to dominate a table. These are format definers that can warp metas entirely if your playgroup is still getting their feet wet in the Magic world. Think Exsanguinate, Land Tax, Consecrated Spinx, Doubling Season, Insurrection.
4: Powerful card that I will usually play but that doesn't offer anything truly unique. It's certainly good but it's interchangeable with enough cards that you'll never be scrambling to play it in everything. It's probably good enough to build around and at the very least you'll be keeping it in mind as you're fleshing the rest of the list out. That being said it's much more likely that you'll play these cards as key supporting pillars to give your deck some inherent strength. Think Syphon Mind, Earthquake, Wrath of God, Rite of Replication, Defense of the Heart.
3: This is a generically good card that won't make a deck much better or worse. It's not going to blow you away but it's not going to disappoint you very often either. A deck full of these won't crush a table but it will usually be good enough (tm) to keep you competitive. Think Vampire Nighthawk, Clone, Chandra's Spitfire, Calming Verse, Austere Command.
2: This card has some niche application but I wouldn't put much effort in acquiring it since it's unlikely to be a key player in many of your current/future decks. It's not great but it's somewhat multiplayer orientated so you should probably keep it on your radar.
1: This card wouldn't be played in an ideal world.
+/-: Used to distinguish between a "better" N and a "worse" N. That is, a 3+ dictates a high-quality 3 whereas a 3- would be on the lower end of the spectrum.
Cubeworthy: simple "yes" or "no" of whether or not I'd Cube with the card myself. That is, would I both put this card in one of Cubes and actively draft it a reasonably high % of the time with plans to maindeck it.
White
Celestial Archon
4/4 fliers for 5 are never going to be horrendous and adding First Strike is never going to hurt. The fact that this things gets Bestow "for free" makes it a fairly sweet card in that sense. Even if your target bites the dust you still have a reasonable creature to work with. Keep in mind that if you do manage to cast this on something decently large and connect with someone then they're probably going to die at some point in the near future. Even if someone kills your critter, hey, you still have a big flier. That's not a bad deal for 7 mana. I just don't see how this card could possibly be bad in that sense. Angelic Destiny is a real card and this is basically the same thing except it pumps out another body for the second go-around and it's not vulnerable to spot removal. I'm not saying that you should run out and buy them or anything but I mean if you acquire some naturally it seems perfectly playable to me
Rating: 2+
Not cubeworthy
Chained to the Rocks
I've seen enough Paths and StPs cast to know that people are more than willing to jam these kinds of exile effects into their shells. The mountain requirement + lack of "speed" hurts but I mean if you need an out to an Eldrazi/Colossus then you need an out to an Eldrazi/Colossus heh. This obviously isn't a multiplayer-orientated card and I'm openly opposed to running too much spot removal in multiplayer but I mean this card is efficient and effective at what it does and I know that it'll appeal to a huge % of the casual player base. I expect to see it a reasonable amount and it'll never be a horrendous draw/play.
Rating: 2
Not cubeworthy
Elspeth, Sun's Champion
I'm not a big fan of Planeswalkers in general in MP but this one is a bit of an exception. I like the fact that she can Wrath immediately and even survives to tell the tale. Her +1 puts a lot of bodies into play which is never a bad thing when you're putting a big target on your head. Her ultimate is cool but that's true for every 'Walker and getting there isn't usually realistic. That being said her -3 is good enough that any time you can use her other 2 modes are just gravy in my mind. Well, that might be downplaying her +1 too much actually. Her +1 is just very, very good. Any + ability that spits out that many blockers is a big game. Getting her on a stable board isn't easy but Wraths are plentiful, especially in White. Of all the 'Walkers printed she's probably one of the best multiplayer-orientated ones. I could actually see myself playing her and that's pretty rare for a guy like me who typically hates 'Walkers. She's super defensive and super powerful and only costs 6 mana. So yeah, I mean, how could I possibly hate on a card like that?
Rating: 4
Cubeworthy
Fabled Hero
3 mana 2 power doublestrikers with upsides are playable. Mirran Crusader is amazing and I mean if you ever put a single counter on this guy then he gets pretty absurd. Obviously I'd rather have the protections the vast majority of the time but I mean dropping a Gift of Immortality or something on this guy is never going to be the worst. I'm not thrilled about this card and I wouldn't chuck him in the old cube or anything but I mean you can't just ignore these kinds of cards nor can you ever completely write them off. It literally only takes a single activation for this card to become insane after all. The decks that want this kind of creature will probably really want this card.
Rating: 2
Not cubeworthy
Gift of Immortality
It's hard to hate on recursion this powerful. Zur the Enchanter just got that much more obnoxious XD. The card isn't amazing since it has to be played preemptively and it still gets hosed by instant speed spot removal but I mean the upside is certainly there if this thing ever gets left unchecked. Being able to trigger and retrigger all your sweet enters the battle (ETB) effects is a big game after all, especially when we're talking about things like Sun Titan. Not a windmill slam in every deck, that much is clear, but I mean this is strong card that can make a deck full of good creatures better.
Rating: 3-
Cubeworthy
Heliod, Sun God
This card is flat-out amazing. Vigilance is one of the best keywords in the game since it enables you to be both offensive and defensive. That's a huge advantage in a multiplayer setting when you want to stay alive but you still have to end the game at some point. Moreover, this guy is big enough to threaten just about everything on turn 4. Beyond that he's just plain spitting guys out every time that you find yourself with open mana. 4 mana for a 2/1 isn't amazing but I mean it's certainly not bad. This is especially true if you consider the fact that it triggers Ajani's Chosen and powers Sphere of Safety up. The fact that they're enchantments is certainly relevant! Heck, Mesa Enchantress herself starts to look playable! Land Tax, Blind Obedience, Luminarch Ascension, Ghostly Prison, Replenish, Sigil of the Empty Throne... how is that not a deck? The weakest aspect of the card is obviously the Devotion requirement and realistically White isn't the best color at maintaining it. Their draw/recursion sucks and there's only so many Boros Reckoner-esque cards out there. Still, getting 2 double White cards isn't that hard and there are plenty of powerful ones at your disposal. Precinct Captain, Crusade, Gideon's Avenger, Hundred-Handed One, Hunted Lammasu, any Elspeth, etc. all do the trick in pairs.
Rating: 4+
Cubeworthy
Hundred-Handed One
This card is just absurd. Like, a vigilant 3/5 for 4 is already insane value. That's not an easy card to beat past and I mean you can and will get in for 3 fairly often. That's only part 1 though. When you hit 6 mana this guy becomes a BEAST. 6/8 vigilance, reach? That's insane for a White creature. Paying 6 mana isn't nothing but I mean you can always do it at EOT so it's not like you're forced to commit anything at Sorcery speed. Being able to block "the everything" is fine too and it will make this a very hard card to race. Alpha strikes don't look very appealing against that body and effect lol. This is just an insane creature and should strongly be considered in any deck that needs a 4 drop creature. It's probably worth noting that he's half of what you need to activate a Heliod and even though they don't have much synergy the cards are good enough that you don't really need any.
Rating: 3+
Cubeworthy
Scholar of Athreos
A 1/4 for 3 isn't normally great but it's exactly what the doctor ordered when you have this type of activated ability. Blocking is the only thing that you need to be worried about doing. This card is mana intensive as sin but I mean it will eventually grind an entire table out if left unchecked. This card seems worse than basically any reasonable Extort spell but I mean it's a 3 drop that you'd be happy to see on turn 12 when you have 9 mana in play so that's something. Ultimately this card is probably too weak on turn 3 and too marginal on turn 12 to actually turn the tables in your favor so it's realistically not going to be that great in practice I don't think. Urborg Syphon-Mage has never impressed me for example and this card doesn't seem significantly more powerful. Still, this is a fun little common who could obviously see some amount of play in metas with shallow card pools.
Rating: 1+
Not cubeworthy
Solider of the Pantheon
Bluntly put I don't think that this card is better than Soul Warden/Soul's Attendant and I'm not convinced that those decks would want a creature as conditional as this. I just don't see how it could possibly gain you more life on average than one of the creature variants figures to accumulate. He obviously has a better body but I use the term "better" loosely. The difference between a 1/1 and a 2/1 is fairly insignificant in my experience because games are not going to be decided in the opening turns. Both of these cards are equally worthless on turn 4 and beyond in terms of their combat potential. In order for this card to be playable the "protection from multicolor" clause would have to be insanely relevant every game. I'm just not seeing that happen personally. I'm probably biased since I Cube a lot and so I don't see many multicolor creatures/removal but I mean come on... really? This is among the worst protections in the game and it isn't close in my mind. Ultimately I just don't see this card being better than any of the Soul Sister variants and I don't think that it's worthwhile to cut something powerful for this type of card in your lifegain-orientated decks.
Rating: 2
Not cubeworthy
Spear of Heliod
I will blindly play a No Mercy in all of my Black decks and I can't think of any good reason why I wouldn't play one of these in my White ones. Glorious Anthem is a playable card to begin with and this is just a super defensive version of it. I like that. +1/+1 doesn't sound like a lot but remember that White has a ton of token generators. There's a huge difference between 1/1s and 2/2s when you're talking about cards such as Cloudgoat Ranger and Increasing Devotion for example. The persistent effect isn't top tier, I'll give you that, but I mean this is a pumper that I could see myself playing on a regular basis. As long as your deck has creatures and wants to survive then both modes are a fairly big game. For what it's worth I really like this card in the Ajani's Chosen decks with Heliod himself, Luminarch Ascension, Sigil of the Empty Throne, etc. It pairs amazingly well with Intangible Virtue since it enables you to be both offensive and defensive. I love that style of deck myself. Yeah, nothing but love for this card from me. I see 2 strong effects on a 3 mana Heliod enabler that works well in any Enchantment-based deck.
Rating: 3+
Cubeworthy
Blue
Artisan of Forms
She's a Clone and since Clones are usually insane in Multiplayer I felt compelled to say something about her. I think that she's utter garbage and I'd never touch her with a 10-foot pole. She can't abuse ETB effects and she needs support to do anything and I consider both of those downsides to be crippling.
Rating: 1
Not cubeworthy
Bident of Thassa
Coastal Piracy with a fairly relevant upside is never going to be an outright bad card. Blue isn't a color that attacks very often in multiplayer in my experience so I don't have a high opinion of this card in that sense. It helps your Devotion to Blue out though and I mean it will force people to suicide their key creatures into meat-shields and so I could envision games where this thing does work. It's among the worst of the "weapons" in the set but it's a reasonable card. I think that this card is at its best in the Coralhelm Commander + Master of the Pearl Trident + Lord of Atlantis + Merfolk Sovereign deck with Thassa, God of the Sea herself. It's your draw engine and any 2 cards in the deck enable Thassa to become a critter. Thassa helps trigger the draw and forces a ton of damage through in the process. The activated ability is always going to be fine since you force small things to run into big things which is never a bad place to be. Could be legit.
Rating: 2 in most decks, 3+ when it's in an aggressive shell with evasive beaters.
Not cubeworthy
Curse of the Swine
Mass Exile in Blue. What's not to love? This card is just a better version of Ixidron and reminds me a lot of Hex. It's the perfect answer to all of those recursion shenanigans that plague most metas and it's always going to be reasonable removal against various Colossi and whatnot. I mean this thing can always act as a Beast Within if that's what you need. I fully expect it to see a ton of play.
Rating: 4
Cubeworthy
Master of Waves
A lord who makes minions is never going to be unplayable. A worst he's a pair of 2/1s for 4 mana but realistically he'll be better than that on average. It only takes a single UU card (say Hunted Phantasm) to turn him in to a real threat after all. Sure, you lose your tokens if he bites the dust, but Blue isn't really an "army-in-a-can" color anyways. Not an amazing card by any means but I mean I could see a world where he does something. One thing I will say is that Cryptoplasm is the nuts with this guy assuming they survive. Not only do you get at least 3 2/1s but you can then have the Plasm become a copy of the Master to turn them into 3/2s! That is sick value if you ask me. I expect Cryptoplasm to do a lot of disgusting things with Blue Devotion come THS.
Rating: 2
Not cubeworthy
Meletis Charlatan
I don't know how to rate these "copy" cards because no one ever plays them and even on the rare occasions when they do they always under-perform. My personal experiences lead me to believe that this card is crap like all the others but I could easily be proven wrong by others since I doubt I'll ever see this card in action myself. I'm sure this kind of effect appeals to some % of the player base after all. Not too sure what else to say about it really since this kind of card is fairly self-explanatory. If it's allowed to live and if people play with powerful instants and if you can hold mana up for it then it'll probably do something cool. Never seen it happen myself but like it must be possible. I dunno, this effect just needs to have a "surprise" factor to be relevant in my mind. It's too easy to play around it otherwise.
Rating: 2
Not cubeworthy
Prognostic Sphinx
The funny thing about this card is that you'd have every reason to love it if it had a remotely relevant combat trigger. My Blue decks tend to have a whack of Rhystic Studys and Consecrated Sphinxes in them anyways and so I see a 3/5 flying hexproofer for 5. Sadly that's not actually competitive but I mean this card would have been real if its last line of text was even remotely significant. Since this is a topic that often confuses people, deck manipulation and mass draw is NOT a combo. You don't need to smooth your draws when you're ripping more spells than you could possibly cast. There's nothing to "smooth" when you're at that stage of the game lol. If this card did something other than Scry 3 on attack I would be all over it because I'm usually swimming in cards anyways and so having a big, evasive, resilient beater is exactly what I'm looking for to close games out. Sadly the 3 power and irrelevant fixing just isn't up to snuff. There was definitely potential for this card to be a "something" though. I know that some people are going to read this and think "Cz you newb, this card is good when you need to dig for your key spells." No it's not. 5 drops that need to attack are not good solutions when you're behind. Scrying on turn 6 to maybe dig for an answer on turn 7... just no lol.
Rating: 1
Not cubeworthy
Shipbreaker Kraken
A 6/6 for 6 isn't the worst but it's far from good in a world of Frost Titans, Consecrated Sphinxes and Wurmcoil Engines. He can and will kill someone for 8 mana which is cool and I mean sometimes you're a newer player with a limited cardpool so you need to "settle" for things that are easy to obtain. It's not going to make any waves but I've seen worse cards played to win games.
Rating: 1
Not cubeworthy
Thassa, God of the Sea
This card is better than it looks (although a 5/5 indestructible for 3 probably looks pretty good). The fact of the matter is that this card ends games fast. The Scry is pretty bad (she's no Rhystic Study) but it's not nothing either. Really just doming people with your best beaters when needed is a very powerful effect in a multiplayer setting. Sometimes a player HAS to die and she enables that nicely. The real tricky part is finding good ways to enable her. Things such as Keeper of the Mind, Legacy's Allure, Ludevic's Test Subject (bam, 13 you!), Azure Mage, Callous Oppressor, Shape Stealer, Cryptoplasm, Steal Enchantment, Vedalken Mastermind and Hunted Phantasm all come to mind. Any number of Merfolk also work and they actually benefit immensely from being able to turn unblockable. I mean, Coralhelm Commander, Lord of Atlantis, Master of the Pearl Trident, Merfolk Sovereign, etc. all activate her in pairs and 4/4s are good things to turn unblockable.
Rating: 2 or 3 in "typical" Blue decks but closer to 3+ or 4 in ones that want to get their beatdown on.
Cubeworthy
Black
Abhorrent Overlord
... why does this card have a drawback exactly? An ~11 power flier for 7 doesn't seem that special to me : /. I mean if you have a big board when you cast this then it's going to end games but that's true of many cards in Magic. If your meta has basically no removal at all then I could see him doing some amount of work since he could dump like... I dunno... 12 guys on the field assuming 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 curve of double black cards? That's pretty damn ambitious lol, very "magical Christmas land," but maybe it'll happen for some people? Possibly? Probably not :P. I mean this card is fine if you can proc 4-5 Harpies when you cast him, especially if you have a Whip of Erebos in play or something. Maybe he's better than I'm giving him credit for but like I just can't help but think of Grave Titan and Sepulchal Primordial and such when I see that 7 CMC. He just doesn't seem to be on par with those kinds of beaters, especially when you factor in his "demonic hunger" upkeep trigger.
Rating: 2+
Not cubeworthy
Agent of the Fates
Deathtouch is amazing keyword to have on cheap creatures because it means that they'll be relevant at many stages of the game. The Heroic ability means that Undying Evil is going to be the biggest blowout that the world has ever seen and I mean even a Profane Command is going to cause some groans. A 3/2 for 3 isn't exactly impressive and it's somewhat unfortunately that he'll often be trading with most 1-2 drops. That's a fairly minor consideration to make however and I'm not going to hold that against the card. I like that he's a human because Xathrid Necromancer is sweet and I do like that he has some sort of global effect. The biggest problem that I have with this card is that it's no Vampire Nighthawk with respect to being a standalone threat. I want to believe that the Tormented Hero + Agent of the Fates + Xathrid Necromancer deck could be a thing but like I'm drawing a total blank on what to support them with other than a few token goodies. There just aren't many targeted spells that come to mind. Nighthowler is another obvious inclusion but I mean you're not going to find 12 or so playable "target" spells I don't think. It's not like you want to max out cards like Undying Evil and Profane Command after all (then again maybe you do). This card, much like Tormented Hero, just strikes me as being fine but not amazing. He's way better than Tormented Hero obviously, the raw stats are fine, but I'd be shocked if people out there couldn't acquire/afford Vampire Nighthawks and the Nighthawk is just the superior card in general. The sad reality is that I'd basically always rather Bestow a Nighthowler on a Nighthawk anyways because I'd rather have a giant, lifelinking flier than a Fleshbag Marauder effect. This is a cool card and I'm glad that it exists but I mean it just doesn't strike me as being that powerful. Even though a 3 mana deathtoucher is fine in a vacuum the fact that Nighthawk exists means that this card will never be actively good unless you're consistently targeting it with something to get value out of his Heroic effect. That means having something like 12+ spells that can target him in your deck. If you can, hey, by all means, get him in there. Just stick to Nighthawk otherwise.
Rating: 3-
Not cubeworthy
Blood-Toll Harpy
Take any detours necessary to avoid paying this toll.
Rating: 1
Not cubeworthy
Erebos, God of the Dead
I've come around on this guy since he was first spoiled. I was skeptical at first since the persistent effect won't always be relevant and I mean Greed isn't played for a reason (and he's a bad greed at that). That being said neither ability is ever going to be horrendous since any draw spell is good when you're ripping into Exsanguinates and Gray Merchant of Asphodels or whatever. 2 mana and 2 life is a lot but even bad draw is relevant when your deck is packed with powerful spells. Moreover, the body is always nice and Black is one of the best color at triggering Devotion (hello Hunted Horror, Vampire Nighthawk, Geralf's Messenger, Phyrexian Obliterator, Gray Merchant of Asphodel). I think that this card goes from good to great if his lifegain hosing effect becomes relevant which it probably figures to do in a typical multiplayer match. Finally, Black has tons of awesome revival at its disposal and plenty of cards with heavy-Black mana costs so he's really just an amazing beater/blocker who draws you cards and hoses lifegain. He may not be the best draw engine ever but he shuts certain strategies down and protects you while you while he's at it. That's not something that a Phyrexian Arena or whatever can offer a Black mage.
Rating: 4+
Cubeworthy
Gray Merchant of Asphodel
This card excites way more than it probably should. I just can't wait to pair it with Phyrexian Reclamation, Oversold Cemetery, Lord of the Undead (look at that BB mana cost), etc. A Syphon Soul with legs isn't horrendous for 5 and toss in the fact that cards such as Phyrexian Arena, Geralf's Messenger, Phyrexian Obliterator, etc. exist and you have one scary creature. I love that he's a zombie and I do think that he'll find an immediate home in the Zombie drain deck with Vengeful Dead. Maggot Carrier, Shepherd of Rot, Wight of Precinct Six, Geralf's Messenger, Death Baron, Lord of the Undead, Undead Warchief, Vengeful Dead, Zombie Apocalypse and more all make it absurd.
Rating: 4
Cubeworthy
Hero's Downfall
Even as someone who despises spot removal I can't not like this card. I'm not suggesting that Planeswalkers are particularly powerful multiplayer cards in general but being able to snipe any creature/'Walker at instant speed for 3 mana is something. I dunno, the duelist in me likes that this card exists moreso than anything else I guess. Anyways, this is the kind of card that will see more multiplayer play than it probably should but I mean I do understand why this type of effect would appeal to people. I won't be scrambling to play it myself, not in multiplayer anyways, but like I can't possibly hate on this card.
Rating: 2
Cubeworthy
Hythonia the Cruel
;_;
I mean I really don't know what to say beyond how disappointed I am with this card. I was so hoping that the "good" Black monstrosity card was going to be a something. Instead we got a Reiver Demon and a bad one at that. For starters the initial body is awful for the mana cost. Like, this is not a pushed body. Grave Titan is a pushed body. This is a 4/6 for 6 who trades with... other 6-7 drops lol. Like, Deathtouch on a 3-4 mana creature is something. Trading up with one of those is nice. Trading up with a 6 drop not so relevant XD. With that in mind you're only playing this card if you plan on consistently monstrifying it. When that happens you nuke the board and have a 7/9 deathtoucher. Deathtouch not the most relevant effect on a giant, 14 mana creature :3. 7/9 isn't exactly huge either. I dunno, this card is playable only because it's still a Wrath on a body. You can Cabal Coffers your way to 14 mana and nuke the field + get a 7/9 out of this card and then sac it with your whatever and revive her with your whatever to do it again every turn as needed. I'm not sure why you aren't using Dread Cacodemon for that but hey, it's your life, not mine. That is something... I guess. I really actively dislike this card and wish that it was even slightly pushed though. I do not recommend running out to buy it or anything. Get 1 for your Cube or EDH or something when it drops to 50 cents or get it "for free" in a trade as a throw-in. I'm not even convinced that she's good in EDH given how terrible her 6 mana "form" is but I mean I'm sure that she'll see some amount of play. Just... yeah... was really hoping for more. It's just as unexciting as Shipbreaker Kraken is in my eyes. At that least that card reads "someone loses the game" whereas this card just kind of prolongs the game. Yeah... gah... really sad panda about this one :(.
Rating: 1
Not cubeworthy
Nighthowler
The Mortivore line doesn't have much at 3 CMC but I mean it's probably not even castable on turn 3 half of the time so that isn't saying much. I like that this card can be cast on your lifelinkers such as Vampire Nighthawk and Wurmcoil Engine later on if needed. You don't always need more bodies; sometimes you just need a whack of life. The biggest weakness of this card is that it's not as cheap/flexible as Wight of Precinct Six and if you want something to pump creatures well Bonehoard is a card. One advantage of playing it is that you can cast it on something (anything), Wrath, and then swing with your huge beater on a relatively empty board. That's probably going to kill a player or two off. At the end of the day it's always going to be a Motivore and that's just always going to be a reasonable card. I don't think that it's quite as good as most of the other ones but that's not saying much now is it? You could do worse than to play some number of these in your Black decks. It's always going to be a reasonable threat and some % of the time it will just crush the table. For a 3-4 mana creature that's pretty reasonable lol.
Rating: 3+
Cubeworthy
Rescue from the Underworld
I don't hate any good instant speed trick that can wreck removal. Undying Evil only costs 1 mana whereas this one costs 5 but I mean you do get 2 dudes back which obviously isn't nothing. There are any number of powerful ETB effects that you could look to abuse with this thing so it's not hard to concoct scenarios where it could be the nut draw. Not a fantastic card by any means but I could easily see myself running 1 as a complete blowout card to cast in the later stages of the game.
Rating: 2+
Cubeworthy (I would legitimately pick and maindeck this card in most of my Black decks)
Tormented Hero
Diregraf Ghoul isn't a playable card in a multiplayer setting (in my opinion obviously) and this card isn't significantly stronger. While it does indeed say "each opponent" I can't even conceive of a deck that would have enough relevant spells to support this kind of card. I like that he's a human for Xathrid Necromancer and I like that it exists in case it ever becomes relevant in the future. As of right now I don't think that it's even remotely playable. I probably wouldn't even play him in the Agent of the Fates deck because I'm just never going to waste an Undying Evil or whatever on a 2/1 that occasionally drains for 1. It's just such a miserable standalone threat at every stage of the game after all. Any number of Extorters, even ones as simple as Thrull Parasite, are vastly superior if that's what you're looking for in a 1 drop. Unless you desperately need another cheap human for your Xathrid Necromancer deck I just can't think of a good reason to run this guy.
Rating: 1
Not cubeworthy
Whip of Erebos
Lifelink was the effect that everyone wanted on the Black whip. It enables it to combo insanely well with Erebos himself and all of those stupid Hunted Horrors and Geralf's Messengers that Black has. It ain't bad on Phyrexian Obliterator or Abyssal Persecutor either. Black has a bevy of ginormous early game beaters who can put that lifegain to great use. I can see myself playing this card for that effect alone. With respect to the revival, well, Wizards obviously went out of their way to make it as mediocre as possible. Yes, I get that you get to swing in, get your damage across and get some life back. That's not insane by any means, not for 4 mana at Sorcery speed. Black has plenty of "real" revival and so I don't foresee leaning on that part of the card too heavily in my games. Still, I mean, I'm not exactly upset to have another way to recur my Fleshbag Marauders and Sepulchral Primordials and whatnot. It may be a one time deal but that's often good enough (tm) to get the board stabilized long enough to rip into some action. I'm just more than happy to pay 4 mana to give my dudes lifelink, trigger my Black Devotion cards (Erebos, Merchant) and I mean the recursion will matter some % of the time. Nothing but love for this card.
Rating: 4
Cubeworthy
Red
Anger of the Gods
This isn't a significant upgrade to any of your existing options (Slagstorm, Flamebreak, Firespout) and so it's not a priority card to acquire in my mind. The fact that it can't damage players relegates it to Control decks alone (more-or-less) but I mean it's tough to argue with Firespout's versatility and ease of casting in those shells. Exiling is obviously a relevant clause but this card doesn't exile most of the important recursive threats in my mind. It'll handle some % of them but by no means will it guarantee your safety. Obviously this card was designed to hose things like Voice of Resurgence but at 40 bucks a pop those aren't making big waves in casual games lol. It's clearly a fine card but there's nothing exceptionally powerful about it so I wouldn't make acquiring them a priority. As long as you have some sort of 3 CMC burn sweeper you should be fine so don't worry too much about this card if you've already got something that you like to use. It's fine, it's playable, it's not exactly new or exciting. You'll play them if you get them but if you don't, meh, you'll find a way to solider on.
Rating: 3-
Cubeworthy
Ember Swallower
4 mana 4/5s are hard to come by in Red. I play Obsidian Fireheart all the time just to get a reasonable blocker early on. I also think that Red decks typically struggle to win the ultra-late game so anything that can slow the mana development down of the Black/Blue/Green decks is fairly strong in my mind. I like that he survives Wildfire and plays well with that type of strategy. His "first half" may not live through a Destructive Force but his better half certainly will. I like that this card is a solid beater/blocker at multiple stages of the game and I like that it can slow the game down to give the Red and White decks a chance. It's worth noting that he has a RR cost which helps with respect to enabling Purphoros. He's also a creature which never hurts in that respect either.
Rating: 3
Cubeworthy
Fanatic of Mogis
I'm not quite sure how this card fits in to Red. On the one hand it's kind of like a Sizzle that can trade with something. On the other hand it's fairly expensive and a bit risky/inconsistent. Moreover, the 4 CMC slot in Red decks is started to look fairly crowded. That's kind of where all of its game enders lie and you're not going to cut Purphoros or Mana Barbs for something like this. This card is obviously good if you can curve Kargan Dragonlord/Ash Zealot into Boros Reckoner/War Elemental into this but I mean that's a wee bit ambitious. At the end of the day I just seem a "fine" but unexciting burn spell with a somewhat reasonable body tacked on. Doesn't seem amazing by any means but I'm sure it would play moderately well in the "dome you all for 20" decks.
Rating: 3-
My gut says that it's probably not cubeworthy
Hammer of Purphoros
One-sided Fervor that enables your Red Devotion cards to do stuff is fine. The ability is God-awful sadly. Only play this card if you would have played Fervor in your deck anyways. I do like that it lets you curve Kargan Dragonlord into this into Purphoros himself and then swing at someone for 8 with gas still in hand. Red doesn't have a ton of good double Red cards at 3 (War Elemental, Boros Reckoner, Chandra's Phoenix is fine I guess) but it has Ash Zealot and Kargan Dragonlord at 2 so that curve is kind of sweet. You then have Stormbreath Dragon at 5 who is another RR card and helps with the global damage theme.
Rating: 2
Not cubeworthy
Purphoros, God of the Forge
Mini-Sizzle on a stick is never a bad thing to have at your disposal. This is especially true when it's triggering from every creature ETB. Young Pyromancer, Krenko, Mob Boss and Siege-Gang Commander are going to do some work! Even Mogg War Marshal starts to look pretty good. Goblin Tribal anyone :3? While Red isn't usually flooding field it does have a fair amount of First Strikers so any power pump is usually welcomed. And like, it does have a fair amount of token producers so I mean it can certainly swarm out on occasion. He also has 6 power as opposed to 5 like most of the others do and when coupled with his mini-Sizzle does mean that he'll kill players quicker than most of the other Gods. It's interesting that this guy really rewards you for playing Chandra's Phoenix and other similar creatures which historically haven't been amazing in multiplayer. It'll be nice to see whether or not his addition changes that in any way. I mean, maybe Firewing Phoenix will start seeing some legitimate use! Never know! Obviously you can just curve Ash Zealot or Kargan Dragonlord into War Elemental and/or Boros Reckoner and I mean good old Taurean Mauler is never going to be bad either. This card is just a great way to close games out, especially in those Earthquake decks filled with Chandra's Spitfires and Stormbreath Dragons. He's among the best of the Gods in my opinion simply because he brings a solid body and a great finisher to a color that sorely needs both. This is likely the best Red multiplayer card that we've seen in years and I can't imagine seeing something on this level again in the foreseeable future.
Rating: 5+
Cubeworthy
Stormbreath Dragon
4/4 fliers with haste for 5 aren't bad in-of-themselves. Toss in a random protection (no more StP/Oring troubles!) and a random global Sudden Impact and you suddenly have a very real card. Red doesn't have much in the way of 7 drops to begin with and I like how this is something can potentially end games before they drag on to the point where the big mana decks can't lose. It's a very good card in the Earthquake decks which severely needed a good body that does global damage. He's really good with Purphoros for what it's worth since he's a creature who deals global damage and he has a RR cost which helps with hitting the 5 required Devotion.
Rating: 4
Cubeworthy
Green
Arbor Colossus
This is a card that's easy to overlook but he's worth a second read. A 5 mana 6/6 reach is already solid and I mean you can nuke an angel and smash for 9 on turn 6 if you want. Not having Trample makes that plan a bit loose but I mean it's not hard to envision scenarios where he stabilizes the board for you. Obviously he's not that much better or worse than say Cloudthresher or Sylvan Primordial that you'll want to run out and acquire him but this card isn't a joke either.
Rating: 3
Cubeworthy
Boon Satyr
3 mana 4/2 Flashers aren't high picks in my book. I can't call that a bad card or anything but I'd never play it myself and nor would most of you I imagine. Let's look beyond that though and consider the best case scenario for this card. You cast him in combat to eat a smallish creature (1 card) and later on someone uses removal on your huge beater to stay alive (2 cards). Now you have a 4/2 (3 cards). If you can reliably get the full 3-for-1, hey, you got your 5 mana's worth. Otherwise, eh, you were probably better off playing something else. What bothers me is that if your creature gets blasted by removal in response to his Bestow then you just have a 4/2 left to work with. Again, that's basically not a p/t that I consider to be especially relevant myself. I just don't like how any random 2/2 can threaten to trade with or beat past it. No one can look at this obviously pushed creature and call it bad, I'm not suggesting otherwise, it just doesn't thrill me. I mean, we do have to consider the fact that it's a split card in the sense that you can just run out a 4/2 on turn 3 at instant speed if needed but like there's basically no deck that I play that's looking for a body of that size (i.e. no toughness) on that turn. I'm all for getting my aggro on but I want to use creatures with big butts who can still protect me even when I find myself on the back-foot. Cool card but not one that I value highly myself.
Rating: 2+
Not cubeworthy
Bow of Nylea
My initial reaction to this card was "meh" but I think that it's probably better than I give credit for. Realistically speaking Deathtouch is an amazing multiplayer keyword and there are any number of pingers/fighters/regenerators/etc. that can abuse it. Yavimaya Hollow and Kessig Wolf Run alone are going to cause people headaches when this thing rears its ugly head. Beyond that it's a great enabler for Nylea herself and I mean all 4 abilities are arguably relevant. Some more than others but I mean it gives you options and good players can and will extract a bunch of value from that type of flexibility. I think that the best applications of this card lie outside of Green but at the same time I don't see how you could play this card and have it be a complete dud. Like, pair it with Ulvenwald Tracker, Strangleroot Geist, Predator Ooze, Troll Ascetic, Thrun, the Last Troll, etc. and something good will happen... right?
Rating: 3
Cubeworthy
Mistcutter Hydra
Ivy Elemental has always performed admirably in our games and I can't imagine how a pure-upside version could fail to impress. This is the kind of card that is never insane but that's always "fine" because it's a reasonable draw at stage of the game insofar as you have 3 or more lands in play. Every single one of its abilities is somewhat relevant in a multiplayer setting and I mean some of them, such as Haste, are just plain good. This will never be the best card in your list but a deck full of these will always be competitive in my mind
Rating: 3+
Cubeworthy
Nemesis of Mortals
I like synergy as much as anyone else but the payoff just isn't there if you're in green. There's enough Multani, Maro-Sorcerers out there that something big and dumb for 4 + 6 (or whatever) mana doesn't really impress me.
Rating: 1
Not cubeworthy
Nylea, God of the Hunt
I think that of all Gods Nylea brings the most relevant persistent effect. Every Green deck realistically wants to have access to a Brawn effect but it's always so hard to make room for it. Now you get to run it on a card that it just plain legitimately awesome at all times. Paying 4 mana to pump something isn't fantastic, especially since most Green decks run Kessig Wolf Run anyways (at least in my experience), but it's not nothing either. She probably has the worst activated ability, not suggesting otherwise, but I mean it does make life pretty miserable for people. Like, at that point every dumb little dork in your deck is a legitimate threat that must be answered. Otherwise you'll just Fireball players out of the game. Beyond that she's a 6/6 for 4 and I mean triggering her just plain isn't that hard in Green. Strangleroot Geist, Scavenging Ooze, Predator Ooze, Vorapede, Cloudthresher, Primalcrux, Khalni Hydra and much more all make it a cinch really. Green may not have the best revival ever but I mean Genesis and Eternal Witness are things and the Witness is a solid enabler herself. You can also factor in cards such as Wild Growth/Utopia Sprawl and Survival of the Fittest that will make triggering her a complete joke.
Rating: 4
Cubeworthy
Polukranos, World Eater
I see a 4 mana 5/5 with an upside and that's going to be good enough a huge % of the time in my mind. He may not knock your socks off with sheer power but how often will you ever cast this guy on turn 4 and have him be a non-factor? The answer is likely "not very." Green isn't lacking in the powerful 4 drop department, Forgotten Ancient says hi, but this is a good card who can somewhat handle other good cards if the game drags on long enough.
Rating: 3
Cubeworthy
Multicolor
Anax and Cymede
It's hard to overlook a 3 mana 3/2 vigilant first striker with an upside. I don't think that heroic is remotely playable but I mean R/W decks are often token orientated in my experience and pumping a team of whatevers is never going to be horrendous. Hell, I don't know, maybe you target them with a Rally the Righteous to God crush somebody. This clearly isn't my kind of card but I mean there's way too much potential and raw power here to overlook. At worst it's just a good card and at best it's going to obliterate someone.
Rating: 3
Not cubeworthy
Ashen Rider
8 is a lot of mana for a glorified Angel of Despair and she doesn't strike me as being that great of a "cheat into play" target. She's not the worst obviously but her effect isn't exactly global in nature and a 5/5 flier isn't that domineering. I'm kind of torn on this card because it's obviously good but I mean it'll probably just end up being another big expensive creature that doesn't really see much play. What I will say is that this card is a beast in blink decks and I mean she pairs insanely well with Undying Evil which is a card that I already have a high opinion of. She's not half bad with Victimize or Rescue from the Underworld either. I mean she's clearly good with the typical Restoration Angel effects as well but this card actually rewards you for killing her off too. So yeah, not too sure how much play she'll see in the end but I mean she's a big flier who'll usually end up being a 3-for-1 at the very worst so there's absolutely no way she could ever be an outright bad card. I'm not convinced that she's the best fatty to cheat out but you could stand to do much worse than this. In the end I think she'll find a home in Black ramp decks with revival since playing her and having her die over and over is pretty sweet. She's a great EDH card in that sense. Exiling multiple things is just such a big game after all.
Rating: She's like a 4 or 5 in the decks that want this specific kind of effect but I mean she probably averages out at something closer to a 2 since 8 mana cards that don't win games are... well... pretty freaking terrible lol.
Not cubeworthy (I couldn't see myself cutting anything for an 8 drop without a global effect)
Daxos of Meletis
This is just a very cool "gotcha" card. He's probably going to be able to hit someone and I mean he's kind of like a Phyrexian Arena who gains you life at that point. Not quite obviously but I mean you have 2 rips at lands and I mean you can and will have an opportunity to cast cool spells off of him. Again, it only takes 1 open player to get some pretty solid value out of this guy and that's not bad for a dorky little 3 drop. This doesn't seem like a card that will appeal to most casual players so I'm not expecting to see him a lot but I mean he seems like a moderately powerful card to me personally.
Rating: 3
Cubeworthy
Fleecemane Lion
If you need 2 drops in your deck then this is where you want to be. He hits early to protect your life total and I mean he becomes a really obnoxious threat on turn 5 if he's still around. You can also just treat him like a 7 mana 4/4 indestructible hexproofer which is better than it probably sounds. Obviously good card is obviously good, I'm not offering much insight in that sense, but I mean that's basically the reality of modern Magic unfortunately. Creatures are cheap, devoid of downsides and packed with upsides nowadays. All you have to do is mix and match the best ones and you'll probably do fine in most of your games.
Rating: 3+ assuming that your meta is aggressive enough to warrant defensive 2 drops. 2+ otherwise.
Cubeworthy
Medomai the Ageless
Every time I see a 6 mana Blue sphinx I can't help but think of Consecrated Sphinx and how nothing will ever come close to toppling it in terms of power. This card is no exception. That being said taking extra turns is one of the most powerful things that you can possibly do in Magic, especially if it's not costing you any mana. However, I dislike extra turn cards in general in multiplayer. Not for power-level reasons but for "fun" reasons. I want everyone to play as much Magic as possible and that basically never involves having one player spend an obnoxious amount of time in the driver's seat. This card certainly seems powerful but I'm pretty opposed to playing it/supporting its use for moral reasons. With that in mind I'm not going to give it much of a plug because I just plain don't want someone to play card because of something that I said.
Rating: 1 in terms of how I feel about it (i.e. it wouldn't see play in an ideal world)
Not cubeworthy (assuming we stick to the criteria that it has to be a card that I would put in one of my Cubes)
Polis Crusher
While this is a 4 mana 4/4 with upsides the fact that it's 2 colors and the fact that all of its benefits are marginal leave much to be desired in my mind. I mean it's not possible for this card to ever be horrendous I don't think but at the same time I would not play this in basically any RG deck that I ever made. It just seems like such a niche card to me.
Rating: 1+
Not cubeworthy
Prophet of Kruphix
Now THIS is a card. Holy Hannah Montana. Ok, like, I don't think people realize just how absurd Awakening is. The card is bonkers busted bananas in the right deck but I mean no one plays it for whatever reason. This card is a one-sided Awakening and that also acts as a Leyline of Anticipation for 5. FIVE! That is disgusting value. Ok, yes, it's a dorky little 2/3 that's probably going to eat removal. That sucks. Still, I mean, I can't not love this card in metas where spot removal isn't very prevalent. Like, you will straight up win the game after a few circuits if you have anything remotely relevant to do with your mana. The biggest thing holding this card back is the fact that absolutely no one likes UG as a color combo and that most people won't be willing to do things like cast Sprout Swarm a bajillion times. I legitimately believe that this is the single most busted card in the set from a purely theoretical sense even though I don't expect to see it played much in practice. The thing about Blue/Green decks is that they get to field a ton of awesome draw and any number of absurd creatures. Once you have any sort of Mystic Remora/Rhystic Study/Mind's Eye/Consecrated Sphinx online you can just start going off Lurking Predators style. The nice thing about this effect is that all you need is a single mana sink, even something as simple as Ant Queen, to just immediately start putting a ton of pressure on people. So yeah, you can either play out your entire hand or just play out 1-2 key threats and blow your mana on creating bodies with various Jade Mage effects. This is a 1 card win condition in my mind and that's not a bad deal for 5 mana. Again, I really don't expect to see it played very often, but the people who are willing to play Simic will probably see a ton of success with this monstrosity.
Rating: 4
Cubeworthy
Steam Augury
This card is close to Fact or Fiction and Fact or Fiction is amazing, even in multiplayer. It's an instant speed draw ~2-3 with no real downside. It's no Rhystic Study obviously but I mean it's a good instant speed draw spell and that will never be bad thing to have in your deck. Oh, before anyone asks, the fact that an opponent gets to make a decision is meaningless in this instance. You either draw cards or draw cards. That's not much control lol. As to which card is better betwen it and FoF, meh, it doesn't really matter much in my opinion. FoF is better but not by an insane amount. Put some draw in your decks and don't worry about trivial differences such as that.
Rating: 3
Cubeworthy
Triad of the Fates
I'll be blunt and say that I think that this card is God-awful. It just seems completely abysmal to me. First of all, I don't see how it even remotely combos with Oblivion Stone unless our opponents are just goldfish. Whatever 4 turn, 15 mana sequence you need to do something powerful I don't want any part of it lol. Moreover I don't see how this card has any relevance on an average game. Comes down on turn 4, taps for a counter on turn 5, does something on turn 6? That something isn't even good though... And like, what if we draw this on turn 7? Are we going to spend the next few turns relying on this to accomplish a useful task? I just don't see it. I'm not a "fun" person so maybe I'm just not seeing how people could have a blast playing this card but it just seems like another unplayable "engine" tacked on to a terrible body for no real benefit. Like, if this thing wasn't a creature, maaaaaaaaaybe. At least then you wouldn't be vulnerable to every piece of removal known to man. I mean the card clearly telegraphs what it's going to do over the next few turns so you're not "getting" people with it lol. As it stands I just could not see myself getting paid to play with this horrendous do-nothing.
Rating: 2-
Not cubeworthy
Reaper of the Wild
There's basically nothing bad about this card. No, that's not doing it justice. This is just plain one of the best multiplayer cards in the set period. 4 mana 4/5s are never going to be terrible and all 3 effects are insanely relevant in a multiplayer setting. It trades with anything, dodges spot removal and I mean it only has to exist to provide value. 4/5s eat most 1-4 drops and it'll always trade-if needed so it's basically never a bad draw. This is especially true since it virtually digs you in to more action as the game progresses. It's just a super-solid defensive 4 drop who doesn't have to lift a finger to be impactful. It could easily be the backbone of any number of decks and I could easily foresee playing this type of threat for years to come. Welcome to pure-upside Magic where your 4 drops obsolete the vast majority of the critters printed over the last few decades.
Rating: 4+
Cubeworthy
Tymaret, the Murder King
Cool card, cool flavour, cool art, way too mana intensive and way too slow. Love the idea here but I mean I just can't envision a world where this type of effect is powerful enough and relevant enough to matter. Yeah, sure, he triggers Purphoros a bunch and I mean you can abuse him with Reassembling Skeleton/Bloodghast/Gravecrawler-esque spells but I mean that's just not good enough in my mind. Every scenario that I've heard involving him requires 3 cards and like 6 mana to do 2 damage + draw a card or something equally frivolous. I like grinding people out just as much as the next guy but you're not going to beat Genesis and Oversold Cemetery with a Grizzly Bears :3.
Rating: 1
Not cubeworthy
Underworld Cerebus
Great art, great flavour, mediocre card. He's very aggressive but that doesn't really appeal to me personally. A 6/6 isn't exactly bad on turn 5 though since that figures to be big enough to eat most 4-5 drops and trade with most 6 drops. It's also cool that he survives both Wildfire and Destructive Force and he even hits before either becomes castable. Beyond that he can randomly hose reanimation spells and whatnot, which is fine, but I don't think that it figures to be especially relevant on average. Maybe I'm wrong on that account but I wouldn't put much faith in it myself. The last ability is slightly intriguing but why are we not just casting Living End if we want that effect at 5 mana? Like, my issue with this card is that it's a 6/6 "unblockable" beater for 5 first and a "Buried Alive abuser" second. That's just the Control player in me coming out though I guess. I mean realistically this guys is HUGE and most decks have fairly empty 5 drop slots but I mean I just don't think that he's better than say Breath of Malfegor or Lightning Reaver and such. Eh, I dunno, I'm so torn on this guy. A 6/6 "unblockable" for 5 is just such a big game and I mean he will be good in decks that pitch cards to their GY.
Rating: 3+
Cubeworthy (I couldn't imagine not playing him in my decks with Earthquake/Wildife/Destructive Force etc)
Xenagos, the Reveler
This is a perfect example of a 'Walker that I wouldn't touch with a 50-foot pole. It does nothing relevant but will draw an absurd amount of hate just because "it's a 'Walker." Like, I don't know about everyone else, but given the choice of hitting players or hitting 'Walkers people will bend over backwards twice to hit 'Walkers in my experience. Like this could easily just be a meta thing and maybe this card is actually good but I know that it would do absolutely nothing for me in my games and that no one would maindeck it in our Cube games. I would never advocate playing this card.
Rating: 1
Not cubeworthy
Artifact
Akroan Horse
Since this is a "competitive" review I don't have anything pleasant to say about this card. I fully expect to see it played in some sort of horrendous combo/synergy deck designed to get a laugh out of the table. If that's your prerogative, hey, by all means. Have fun and enjoy life. If you're looking for something legitimately powerful then I encourage you to beware of the mare.
Rating: 1
Not cubeworthy
Colossus of Akros
Everyone's favorite creatures, indestructible 20/20s for big sums of mana, are back! Woohoo!
:3
Yeah, I know lol. Here we have another card that big mana decks can field to make our casual lives miserable XD. If you don't have an exile effect you just auto lose and that's always so fun and skill intensive :P. This card isn't absurd, it's not too fast and it's not too powerful, but it's never going to be fun. It will ruin games and it will make people groan. Deep down I don't really like these kinds of non-interactive "I win" spells but I mean if games go long and you want to win then you kind of have to play some number of them or risk losing to them yourself. I don't think that they're especially good for the game in that sense. Still, hey, I like winning and so I'll probably end up giving this card a go. Being able to pay 8 and then 10 beats paying 11+ and this card, unlike say Emrakul, can actually block for you for a bit if needed. It eats 2 turns of mana but like when they're turns 11 and 12 it doesn't exactly matter lol.
Rating: 2
Not cubeworthy
Pyrix of Pandemonium
... just no.
Rating: 0
Not cubeworthy
Lands
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
It's hard to imagine a world where this is going to be an actively bad land in most 1-2 color decks. The problem that I have with it is that it's competing with a bunch of other, awesome "special" lands. I mean it does make Boros Reckoners and Geralf's Messengers pretty beastly but that's not good enough in my mind. I'd probably never play this card myself (I'd field any number of superior alternatives) and I couldn't foresee ever suggesting it to someone and in that sense I don't think that the card is especially playable. Again, I doubt that it'll ever be really bad, but I mean it just doesn't seem worthwhile to expend your "open" land slots on something as marginal as this.
Rating: 1
Not cubeworthy
All 5 Temples
Why are these rare? I mean they're better than vanilla ETB tapped dual lands but only just barely... If you acquire some naturally, great, just don't pay real money for these over say Guildgates lol. Such a disappointing cycle.
Rating: 2-
Cubeworthy but I'd personally never shell out a cent for these over Guildgates and whatnot.
Unknown Shores
I won't hate on any land that can help players build a budget mana base that can still cast its spells (even if it's at a slightly slower clip). Never going to be good but I mean sometimes isn't exactly what the wallet ordered.
Rating: 2
Not cubeworthy
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1
Aranthar posted a message on TCG Player Scraper ScriptHere are today's lists. Next week hopefully THS prices will be available.Posted in: Market Street Café -
14
Hunter posted a message on [[M14]] Name and Number Crunch (complete)It’s that time of the year againPosted in: The Rumor Mill
- Names in bold are confirmed, including their card number
- Names in normal type (not bold) are confirmed, but their exact card number (or even color) is as yet unknown. Their positions may be subject to change.
- Names or words in italics are speculation
- Words in brackets [] are placeholders for cards we know a lot about, except the name, or only a partial name.
White
1 W Ajani, Caller of the Pride (Planeswalker - Ajani), Mythic
2 W Ajani’s Chosen (Creature - Cat Soldier), Rare
3 W Angelic Accord (Enchantment), Uncommon
4 W Angelic Wall (Creature - Wall), Common
5 W Archangel of Thune (Creature – Angel), Mythic
6 W Auramancer (Creature - Human Wizard), Common
7 W Banisher Priest (Creature - Cleric), Uncommon
8 W Blessing (Enchantment - Aura), Uncommon
9 W Bonescythe Sliver (Creature – Sliver), Rare
10 W Brave the Elements (Instant), Uncommon
11 W Capashen Knight (Creature - Human Knight), Common
12 W Celestial Flare (Instant), Common
13 W Charging Griffin (Creature - Griffin), Common
14 W Congregate (Instant), Uncommon
15 W Dawnstrike Paladin (Creature – Human Knight), Common
16 W Devout Invocation (Sorcery), Mythic
17 W Divine Favor (Enchantment - Aura), Common
18 W Fiendslayer Paladin (Creature - Human Knight), Rare
19 W Fortify (Instant), Common
20 W Griffin Sentinel (Creature - Griffin), Common
21 W Hive Stirrings (Sorcery), Common
22 W Imposing Sovereign (Creature - Human), Rare
23 W Indestructability (Enchantment - Aura), Rare
24 W Master of Diversion (Creature – Human Scout), Common
25 W Pacifism (Enchantment - Aura), Common
26 W Path of Bravery (Enchantment), Rare
27 W Pay No Heedl (Creature - Griffin), Common
28 W Pillarfield Ox (Creature - Ox), Common
29 W Planar Cleansing (Sorcery), Rare
30 W Sentinel Sliver (Creature – Sliver), Common
31 W Seraph of the Sword (Creature - Angel), Rare
32 W Serra Angel (Creature - Angel), Uncommon
33 W Show of Valor (Instant), Common
34 W Siege Mastodon (Creature - Elephant), Common
35 W Silencel (Instant), Rare
36 W Solemn Offeringl (Sorcery), Common
37 W Soulmender (Creature - Human Cleric), Common
38 W Steelform Sliver (Creature – Sliver), Uncommon
39 W Stonehorn Chanter (Creature - Rhino Cleric), Uncommon
40 W Suntail Hawk (Creature - Bird), Common
41 W Wall of Swordsl (Creature - Wall), Uncommon
Blue
42 U Air Servant (Creature - Elemental), Common
43 U Archaeomancer (Creature - Human Wizard), Common
44 U Armored Cancrix (Creature - Crab), Common
45 U Cancel (Instant), Common
46 U Claustrophobia (Enchantment - Aura), Common
47 U Clone (Creature - Shapeshifter), Rare
48 U Colossal Whale (Creature - Whale), Rare
49 U Coral Merfolk (Creature - Merfolk), Common
50 U Dismiss into Dream (Enchantment), Rare
51 U Disperse (Instant), Common
52 U Divination (Sorcery), Common
53 U Domestication (Enchantment - Aura), Rare
54 U Elite Arcanist (Creature - Human Wizard), Rare
55 U Essence Scatter (Instant), Common
56 U Frost Breath (Instant), Common
57 U Galerider Sliver (Creature – Sliver), Rare
58 U Glimpse the Future (Sorcery), Uncommon
59 U Illusionary Armor (Enchantment - Aura), Uncommon
60 U Jace, Memory Adept (Planeswalker - Jace), Mythic
61 U Jace’s Mindseeker (Creature - Fish Illusion), Rare
62 U Merfolk Spyl (Creature - Merfolk Rogue), Common
63 U Messenger Drake (Creature - Drake), Common
64 U Negate (Instant) Common
65 U Nephalia Seakite (Creature - Bird), Common
66 U Opportunity (Instant), Uncommon
67 U Phantom Warrior (Creature - Illusion Warrior), Uncommon
68 U Quicken (Instant), Rare
69 U Scroll Thief (Creature - Merfolk Rogue), Common
70 U Seacoast Drake (Creature - Drake), Common
71 U Sensory Deprivation (Enchantment - Aura), Common
72 U Spellblast (Instant), Uncommon
73 U Tidebender Mage (Creature - Merfolk Wizard), Rare
74 U Time Ebb (Sorcery), Common
75 U Tome Scour (Sorcery), Common
76 U Trained Condor (Creature – Bird), Common
77 U Traumatize (Sorcery), Rare
78 U Wall of Frostl (Creature - Wall), Uncommon
79 U Warden of Evos Isle (Creature - Bird Wizard), Uncommon
80 U Water Servant (Creature - Elemental), Uncommon
81 U Windreader Sphinx (Creature - Sphinx), Mythic
82 U Zephyr Charge (Enchantment), Common
Black
83 B Accursed Spirit (Creature - Spirit), Common
84 B Altar's Reap (Instant), Common
85 B Artificer's Hex (Enchantment - Aura), uncommon
86 B Blightcaster (Creature - Human Wizard), Uncommon
87 B Blood Bairn (Creature - Vampire), Common
88 B Bogbrew Witch (Creature - Human Wizard), Rare
89 B Child of Night (Creature - Vampire), Common
90 B Corpse Hauler (Creature - Human Rogue), Common
91 B Corrupt (Sorcery), Uncommon
92 B Dark Favor (Enchantment - Aura), Common
93 B Dark Prophecy (Enchantment), Rare
94 B Deathgaze Cockatrice (Creature - Cockatrice), Common
95 B Diabolic Tutor (Sorcery), Uncommon
96 B Doom Blade (Instant), Uncommon
97 B Duress (Sorcery), Common
98 B Festering Newt (Creature - Salamander), Common
99 B Gnawing Zombie (Creature - Zombie), Uncommon
100 B Grim Return (Instant), Rare
101 B Lifebane Zombie (Creature - Zombie Warrior), Rare
102 B Liliana of the Dark Realms (Planeswalker - Liliana), Mythic
103 B Liliana’s Reaver (Creature - Zombie), Rare
104 B Liturgy of Blood (Sorcery), Common
105 B Mark of the Vampire (Enchantment - Aura), Common
106 B Mind Rot (Sorcery), Common
107 B Minotaur Abomination (Creature – Zombie Minotaur), Common
108 B Nightmare (Creature - Nightmare Horse), Rare
109 B Nightwing Shade (Creature - Shade), Common
110 B Quag Sickness (Enchantment - Aura), Common
111 B Rise of the Dark Realms (Sorcery), Mythic
112 B Sanguine Bond (Enchantment), Rare
113 B Sengir Vampire (Creature - Vampire), Uncommon
114 B Shadowborn Apostle (Creature – Human Cleric), Common
115 B Shadowborn Demon (Creature – Demon), Mythic
116 B Shrivel (Sorcery), Common
117 B Syphon Sliver (Creature – Sliver), Rare
118 B Tenacious Dead (Creature - Skeleleton Warrior), Uncommon
119 B Undead Minotaur (Creature - Zombie Minotaur), Common
120 B Vampire Warlord (Creature - Vampire), Uncommon
121 B Vile Rebirthl (Instant), Common
122 B Wring Flesh (Instant), Common
123 B Xathrid Necromancer (Creature - Human Wizard), Rare
Red
124 R Academy Raider (Creature - Human Warrior), Common
125 R Act of Treason (Sorcery), Common
126 R Awaken the Ancient (Enchantment - Aura), Rare
127 R Barrage of Expendables (Enchantment), Uncommon
128 R Battle Sliver (Creature – Sliver), Uncommon
129 R Blur Sliver (Creature – Sliver), Common
130 R Burning Earth (Enchantment), Rare
131 R Canyon Minotaur (Creature - Minotaur Warror), Common
132 R Chandra, Pyromaster (Planeswalker - Chandra), Mythic
133 R Chandra's Outrage (Instant), Common
134 R Chandra's Phoenix (Creature - Phoenix) , Rare
135 R Cyclops Tyrant (Creature - Cyclops), Common
136 R Demolish (Sorcery), Common
137 R Dragon Egg (Creature - Dragon), Uncommon
138 R Dragon Hatchling (Creature - Dragon), Common
139 R Flames of the Firebrand (Sorcery), Uncommon
140 R Fleshpulper Giant (Creature - Giant), Uncommon
141 R Goblin Diplomats (Creature - Goblin), Rare
142 R Goblin Shortcutter (Creature - Goblin Scout), Common
143 R Lava Axe (Sorcery), Common
144 R Lightning Talons (enchantment - Aura), Common
145 R Marauding Maulhorn (Creature - Beast), Common
146 R Mindsparker (Creature - Elemental), Rare
147 R Molten Birth (Sorcery), Uncommon
148 R Ogre Battledriver (Creature – Ogre Warrior), Rare
149 R Pitchburn Devils (Creature - Devil), Common
150 R Regathan Firecat (Creature – Elemental Cat), Common
151 R Scourge of Valkas (Creature - Dragon), Mythic
152 R Seismic Stomp (Sorcery, Common
153 R Shiv's Embrace (Enchantment - Aura), Uncommon
154 R Shivan Dragon (Creature - Dragon), Rare
155 R Shock (Instant), Common
156 R Smelt (Instant), Common
157 R Striking Sliver (Creature – Sliver), Common
158 R Thorncaster Sliver (Creature – Sliver), Rare
159 R Thunder Strike (Instant), Common
160 R Volcanic Geyser (Instant), Uncommon
161 R Wild Guess (Sorcery), Common
162 R Wild Ricochet (Instant), Rare
163 R Young Pyromancer (Creature - Human Shaman), Uncommon
Green
164 G Advocate of the Beast (Creature – Elf Shaman), Common
165 G Bramblecrush (Instant), Common
166 G Briarpack Alpha (Creature - Wolf), Uncommon
167 G Brindle Boar (Creature - Boar), Common
168 G Deadly Recluse (Creature - Spider), Common
169 G Elvish Mystic (Creature - Elf Druid), Common
170 G Enlarge (Sorcery), Uncommon
171 G Fog (Instant), Common
172 G Garruk, Caller of Beasts (Planeswalker - Garruk), Mythic
173 G Garruk’s Horde (Creature – Beast), Rare
174 G Giant Growth (Instant, Common
175 G Giant Spider (Creature - Spider), Common
176 G Gladecover Scout (Creature - Elf Scout), Common
177 G Groundshaker Sliver (Creature – Sliver), Common
178 G Howl of the Night Pack (Sorcery), Uncommon
179 G Hunt the Weak (Sorcery), Common
180 G Into the Wilds (Enchantment), Rare
181 G Kalonian Hydra (Creature – Hydra), Mythic
182 G Kalonian Tusker (Creature – Beast), Uncommon
183 G Lay of the Land (Sorcery), Common
184 G Manaweft Sliver (Creature - Sliver), Uncommon
185 G Megantic Sliver (Creature – Sliver), Rare
186 G Naturalize (Instant), Common
187 G Oath of the Ancient Wood (Enchantment), Rare
188 G Plummet (Instant), Common
189 G Predatory Sliver (Creature – Sliver), Common
190 G Primeval Bounty (Enchantment), Mythic
191 G Ranger's Guile (Instant), Common
192 G Rootwalla (Creature - Lizard), Common
193 G Rumbling Baloth (Creature - Beast), Common
194 G Savage Summoning (Instant), Rare
195 G Scavenging Ooze (Creature – Ooze), Rare
196 G Sporemound (Creature - Fungus), Common
197 G Trollhide (Enchantment - Aura), Common
198 G Vastwood Hydra (Creature – Hydra), Rare
199 G Verdant Haven (Enchantment - Aura), Common
200 G Voracious Wurm (Creature - Wurm), Uncommon
201 G Windstorm (Instant), Uncommon
202 G Witchstalker (Creature - Wolf), Rare
203 G Woodborn Behemoth (Creature - Elemental), Uncommon
Artifacts
204 A Accorder's Shield (Artifact), Common
205 A Bubbling Cauldron (Artifact), Uncommon
206 A Darksteel Forge (Artifact), Mythic
207 A Darksteel Ingot (Artifact), Uncommon
208 A Door of Destinies (Artifact), Rare
209 A Elixir of Immortality (Artifact), Uncommon
210 A Fireshrieker (Artifact), Uncommon
211 A Guardian of the Ages (Artifact Creature - Golem), Rare
212 A Haunted Plate Mail (Artifact), Rare
213 A Millstone (Artifact), Uncommon
214 A Pyromancer's Gauntlet (Artifact), Rare
215 A Ratchet Bomb (Artifact), Rare
216 A Ring of Three Wishes (Artifact), Mythic
217 A Rod of Ruin (Artifact), Uncommon
218 A Sliver Construct (Artifact Creature – Sliver Construct), Common
219 A Staff of the Death Magus (Artifact), Uncommon
220 A Staff of the Flame Magus (Artifact), Uncommon
221 A Staff of the Mind Magus (Artifact), Uncommon
222 A Staff of the Sun Magus (Artifact), Uncommon
223 A Staff of the Wild Magus (Artifact), Uncommon
224 A Strionic Resonator (Artifact), Rare
225 A Trading Post (Artifact), Rare
226 A Vial of Poison (Artifact), Uncommon
Land
227 L Encroaching Wastes (Land), Uncommon
228 L Mutavault (Land), Rare
229 L Shimmering Grotto (Land), Uncommon
230 W Plains (Basic Land - Plains)
231 W Plains (Basic Land - Plains)
232 W Plains (Basic Land - Plains)
233 W Plains (Basic Land - Plains)
234 U Island (Basic Land - Island)
235 U Island (Basic Land - Island)
236 U Island (Basic Land - Island)
237 U Island (Basic Land - Island)
238 B Swamp (Basic Land - Swamp)
239 B Swamp (Basic Land - Swamp)
240 B Swamp (Basic Land - Swamp)
241 B Swamp (Basic Land - Swamp)
242 R Mountain (Basic Land - Mountain)
243 R Mountain (Basic Land - Mountain)
244 R Mountain (Basic Land - Mountain)
245 R Mountain (Basic Land - Mountain)
246 G Forest (Basic Land - Forest)
247 G Forest (Basic Land - Forest)
248 G Forest (Basic Land - Forest)
249 G Forest (Basic Land - Forest)
Changes
http://wiki.mtgsalvation.com/article/Magic_2014/Changes
Span counting explained
* Go to the visual spoiler on www.wizards.com
* Use 'Control U' to look at the the source code of the page.
* Count the 's.
* There's one directly after each card, and one in each slot where a card will eventually be. (So e.g. if two cards have no other cards between them, there will be one between them; if there's one other card between them, there will be two 's between them.)
* Similarly this allows us to tell just where each section begins and ends. (This is "sections" as displayed on the website like id="divwhite", id="divmulticolored" or id="divhybrid")
-
16
Tempest1986 posted a message on Modern Masters -- Evaluating a BuyMTGS Community & Friends,Posted in: Market Street Café
If you're anything like me, you're watching MM Box Values skyrocketing and wondering to yourself, am I missing the boat on a good buy? Well, with all cards now spoiled, we have enough information to know for sure! Let's investigate...
Any good Earned Value (EV) evaluation requires we first designate our price guide.
For this post, I've used TCGPlayer.com's Lightly Played (LP) condition as a baseline. (Non-Foils)
I've used E-Bay latest sold items as a baseline. (Foils)
*Note: Red highlights only indicate my favorite picks for the set.
Assumptions Taken:
24 Packs per Box
.125 Mythics per Pack
.875 Rares per Pack
3 Uncommons per Pack
9 Commons per Pack
1 Foil per Pack
1:9 Foils are Rare Slots
3:9 Foils are Unc Slots
5:9 Foils are Com Slots
Using these Price Guides & Assumptions we find the Average Card Values (including Foils) to be:
Average Card Values - Modern Masters
Mythic = $24.47
Rare = $7.25
Uncommon = $1.06
Common = $0.22
Foil = $3.84
Average Pack/Box Values - Modern Masters
Average Pack Value = $18.43
Average Box Value = $442.20
At first glance, this is outstanding! Buy 'em while they're hot, Right!? Well, let's dig a little deeper...
In line with standard theories of Economics, the increased Supply withought sufficient increased Demand will result in a decrease in value of each single. For my first look, I factor in a decrease of -15% Mythics, -25% Rares, -50% Uncommons, -85% Commons. (This is an opinion based devaluation, as true devaluation is quite difficult to predict.)
With this devaluation in mind, we'd expect our investment to be worth:
Post-Release Anticipated Valuation (Liberal)
Lightly Devalued (LD) Average Pack Value = $12.90
Lightly Devalued (LD) Average Box Value = $309.69
Well great! Even with a mild devaluation, the box still ends up worth while on average. If you're a little more conservative with your money, you can even bump up the devaluation to -25% Mythics, -40% Rares, -75% Uncommons and -90% Commons. This provides an expected valuation of:
Post-Release Anticipated Valuation (Conservative)
Conservatively Devalued (CD) Average Pack Value = $10.17
Conservatively Devalued (CD) Average Box Value = $244.03
With boxes going at $250 + S&H on e-Bay, this analysis helps to make buying a box moderately attractive to even the conservative Magic player hoping to get some bang for their buck.
For the Pessimist out there, I've gone a little further...
If we're to assume Commons/Uncommons are going to really tank, and will be a pain in the butt to get rid of anyway, we can assume their value to be $0.
Valuation Looking only at Rares/Mythics
Avg Pack Value = $12.06
Avg Box Value = $289.34
LD Avg Pack Value = $9.75
LD Avg Box Value = $233.91
CD Avg Pack Value = $8.22
CD Avg Box Value = $197.37
Under this evaluation, looking only at the rares/mythics, we'd have to find a box around $200 to feel comfortable that a buy will have a decent shot on providing a positive return on investment. However, we can't ignore that there's real value to the commons & uncommons pulling this number up.
In Summary,
If you're a store with an easy way to move commons/uncommons at value, or you planned on buying them to get into Modern anyway, a box of Modern Masters is a pretty decent buy (on average) at anything under $250.
You may get lucky and walk away up, you may have to justify your losses as entertainment value from drafting your packs with friends. But, if you're only looking at the set for the rares, $200 is more where you'd like to be.
And as always, Variance plays a huge role in your boxes value, and is extremely difficult to plan for in EV without knowing exactly how prices will fluctuate post release. Keep this in mind as you invest in your gaming future.
Update:
Statistical Estimated Value analysis completed. A little more accurate than "Average Value", though we must always remind ourselves of pack-pack variance.
Numbers come out to:
Booster using current single values: $16.43
Box using current single values: $394.24
With depreciation (15%/25%/50%/75% M/R/U/C regular & foils):
LP Booster = $11.55
LP Box = $277.18
Excluding the Commons/Uncommons:
CP Booster = $9.42
CP Box = $226.02
Summary:
As long as the singles don't depreciate greater than assumed, $225 is our buy point.
Anything under $205 is a very strong buy.
Good luck, and enjoy!
~Adam - To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
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2. Follow OracleofTheros
3. ?
4. Prophet!
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You will be shocked when you cast it too :D:thumbsup:
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CML's Orzhov Lifegain
Modern – Top 8, Magic Online PTQ, March 10
2 Godless Shrine
3 Isolated Chapel
4 Marsh Flats
2 Mistveil Plains
4 Plains
1 Swamp
2 Vault of the Archangel
4 Windbrisk Heights
24 lands
4 Martyr of Sands
4 Ranger of Eos
4 Serra Ascendant
4 Squadron Hawk
3 Vizkopa Guildmage
19 creatures
3 Orzhov Charm
3 Path to Exile
2 Proclamation of Rebirth
3 Wrath of God
2 Zealous Persecution
17 other spells
3 Aven Mindcensor
3 Blind Obedience
2 Leyline of Sanctity
2 Oblivion Ring
3 Stony Silence
1 Sun Titan
1 Zealous Persecution
15 sideboard cards
Quote from Jacob Van Lunen:
What are your thoughts on this deck and card choices? Seems interesting to me, but I do not have much experience with this type of build.
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