Finally. The gods have returned to Theros. (read that in the voice of The Rock, please)
Theros is all about gods, so that's our first stop:
First, you'll notice they're all ally-colored gold gods. Secondly, they don't have activated abilities, only triggered abilities, as compared to the major gods. Third, they require more devotion (7) but provide you with one more each (2), so you only need five extra devotion as opposed to four for the major gods. Now let's do this god by god: Ephara, God of the Polis - SELL - It's four mana, which is good for a minor god. It can provide up to one card a turn, depending on whether you could resolve a creature spell or not. This works well with Elspeth, who has no problem making creatures each and every turn, but generally doesn't synergize with UW strategies. I find this to be the most disappointing of the BNG gods. If you're running white weenie, how many creatures are you resolving AFTER you resolve this? And then wouldn't you rather finish someone off than conditionally draw a card or have a conditional creature? It might make a sideboard or two, but I'm not seeing the potential. Karametra, God of Harvests - SELL - It doesn't strike me as one made for Standard. In EDH and casual formats, however, pulling any old "forest" or "plains" out of your deck could include the original dual-lands, shock-lands or the assorted do-stuff lands w/basic type. But for standard, costing five and ramping you after you've already done ramping turns 1-4 seems unnecessary. Mogis, God of Slaughter - BUY LATER? - Now this one has "standard" written on it, practically. A 7/5 indestructible body is formidable, and the most efficient of the new gods at 4 mana. The triggered ability happens immediately after you resolve it on the opponent's upkeep, and either ability is good for Rakdos Aggro. This does compete with Exava, but Mogis provides a great alternative by giving you some late game reach that is less susceptible to removal than Exava. Even if it doesn't become a creature, it's a relevant enchantment to have around in that deck. It's also playable in more Midrange Rakdos decks. Phenax, God of Deception - SELL - I want to open this for Sealed at the pre-release so bad. Milling 40 card decks with a repeatable indestructible milling machine like this is downright nastiness. In Standard, not so much; I see it as a sideboard card in Standard. Xenagos, God of Revels - SELL NOW - It's very strong. It's just worth too much at $20+. G/R Devotion decks or "Monsters" have done well in the past and aren't getting worse with Xenagos and especially his Fanatic. The pump is quite nice as it lets you use your current board presence to pummel an opponent quickly but DAT HASTE. The Haste allows you to attack with Xenagos the turn it resolves should you have the devotion or let's you pull any creature off the top of your deck for lethal. It's a very strong card but I'd personally pick up Stormbreath Dragons before picking these up.
Over-all the art is awesome on the gods, especially Xenagos, but I don't see these cards as main parts of decks the way a Huntmaster of the Fells or something was. And the cool/excitement factor will keep gods singles prices high enough.
Next up.... THE REST OF THE SET! I'm just hitting the big ones.
Brimaz, King of Oreskos - ??? - You won't be forgetting this name. Brimaz is a beast of a cat. For three mana you're getting a heck of a lot. I mean, it's obviously it's pushed, right? With no question about its power level the only question is whether the decks it'll find itself in become successful. I'd imagine they will be at least mildly successful. I can't predict the future metagame, so I'd only pick these up if I loved playing white... cuz $25 is a lot to me. Revoke Existence - BUY A SET - It's worth about five cents and you'll get your money's worth with this one. It's a flexible two mana spell that can cleanly deal with gods and such. Spirit of the Labyrinth - BUY LATER? - This is more of a Modern cards than a Standard one, but it won't have zero impact on Type II either. It stops Sphinx's Revelation pretty hard I suppose. Its price should go down as its Standard uses aren't many. Divination - BUY - When the art was spoiled I got excited. I was rewarded with a card that frequents core sets. Oh well. That art is hot. Nullify - BUY - Slightly more exciting than Divination... maybe. It does the job and should be worth five cents. Hitting creatures cast with their Bestow cost is far from irrelevant.
..... Gild - If you can get one on the cheap, go right ahead. It won't be replacing Hero's Downfall but does do a number of the gods when they're creatures. It should bottom out in the bargain bin area (25-50 cents). Pain Seer - SELL - I'm not sold on this one. Yes, it could do powerful stuff. But so could an uncontested Suntail Hawk. Where does it fit in? I'm thinking Black/Rakdos Aggro. It should be just fine in that archetype but may struggle to find a home elsewhere. The Bob comparisons are obvious but far off. I'd pick mine up at $2-4 each? Flame-Wreathed Phoenix - BUY LATER? - It's the big Mythic Tribute card. Both options are fairly good but it never does what you want it to do and will always be the worst option available, the 5/5 with wings or the 3/3 hasty flier that comes back. If this bottoms out around $1-2 I'll pick some up, otherwise I need to be convinced that it'll be a mainstay in Standard. Satyr Firedancer - SELL - At first I thought this was an uncommon. It's just disappointing for what may at first appear to be playable in Standard. It is not playable in competitive Magic. You need to hit a player with at least two burn spells before playing a 1/1 for 2 (and protecting it) becomes worth it. I have a soft spot for burn spells so I'll get a set.. when they becomes 10 cents each. Searing Blood - Probably the best mono-red card of the set. It's an obvious play on Searing Blaze, but generally not as good. It's an uncommon at $1 each right now, which isn't atrocious, but should sink down to a quarter or so. Skullcrack, while not as good for Standard, followed a similar pattern of $1-2 ea to 10c ea. Courser of Kruphix - WAIT - These Kruphix cards are sweet. The obvious comparison here is to Oracle of Mul Daya minus an important aspect: the ramp. That makes this card an okay ramp card but provides much better defense than the Oracle did. This comes down a turn earlier (t3 or before) providing a solid 2/4, gives you card advantage with its Future Sight land ability, and gives you a nice 'gain life' advantage which is sweet against aggressive decks. LSV, if ever Turbo Land returns, you will see this (and Kiora). It could easily see play in the Mono-Green Devotion fringe deck or as sideboard in G/R. Five dollars is a bit much for this, however. For comparison's sake, look at Sylvan Caryatid which is a staple. Satyr Wayfinder - BUY - Another card for Turbo Land? ERMAGERD. It's like ten cents each, you can buy these without fear. Buy yourself some Unravel the AEthers too. Fanatic of Xenagos - KEEP EM IF YOU PULL EM - I don't understand the Bloodbraid Elf comparisons. It ain't that good. It could be an archetype staple, which could put it at 50-100 cents each but not more than that. Kiora, the Crashing Wave - NOT YET - This card is good. The question is whether a UG deck can be Tier 1. I'm betting 'no' for now, so you can pick this up cheaper later. Cool card though. Ragemonger - It's strong for what it does, which isn't much given its supporting cast. Pick them up when they're cheaper because it could remain a casual hit for years to come. Any minotaur deck will want this. Astral Cornucopia - MEH - These are roughly $1 each now. That seems fair enough, but if you want to wait and see if it goes down: be my guest. It's awesome as a partner to Everflowing Chalice in Proliferate/counter-themed EDH decks and isn't terrible without support. This may go up in the long, long term... but don't crucify if it doesn't.
To be quite honest, I'm not thrilled with Born of the Gods in terms of individual card strength. Brimaz is awesome. The rest? Meh, meh and meh. Meh. It seems as if Wizards flattened the power level for BNG--that is, the best cards aren't ridiculously better than the lowly commons and such. This might make for an awesome Limited experience, but deck builders may find there aren't enough tools from BNG to truly excite them. Partly, I feel like I'm already waiting for Journey into Nyx. Get your scry-lands as you need them and pick up the other pieces as they prove themselves in Standard. Sorry ya'll, I'm not speculating on many hidden gold mines being here. I'm out. --Jonny
The title says it. Week one is done. We know less than a third of the Born of the Gods expansion set now (54/165). So if you're disappointed, don't be--there's more to come!
But before we get to the power standings by color, first a run down:
W white Archetype of Courage - With an early board presence this can allow you to dominate combat. However, at worst this is a three mana Silvercoat Lion. It's pitifully bad against control but does some real work against aggro, especially against fast aggro. This seems like a potent sideboard card at the moment. Brimaz, King of Oreskos - This is an all-arounder. It's absolutely excellent against fast aggro with the 4 toughness and the ability to continually make 1/1s to embarrass an opposing Spike Jester. When you factor in the vigilance, this is nothing short of insane against dude decks. And Polukranos needs a lot of mana to take Brimaz down. This is also a great "Plan B" Hero of Bladehold-esque card (though it's three mana) against control. It single-handedly develops your board presence, like a more aggressive Precinct Captain. Oh, and if you happen to have a Spear of Heliod out.. ouch. I can also see this card is some newfangled Tempo deck, where you can just protect it, answer a threat or two and just grind them out quickly. This is the best card of the set right now. Hero of Iroas - Unless a smorgasbord of cheap cantripping auras are printed, I don't see an aura deck being tier 1, but with Ethereal Armor in standard auras may do something. This is weaker than Kor Spiritdancer but will play a similar role--suit it up! Ephara's Enlightenment - White-based Heroic decks should enjoy this as a spicy option. It shouldn't be a constructed staple, but I'd love to run it as a 2-of or so to be a mana sink and provide reach. Giving a creature flying is FAR from irrelevant when you're buffing your creatures. This may be a surprise constructed player. Reap What Is Sown - I'm considering this a white card because green doesn't have any good Heroic creatures... yet. I might prefer Ephara's Enlightenment but this is great as a "surprise!" card that'll really make you say "gotcha!" Three unanswered Heroic triggers, assuming your board state, could be game over. U blue Arbiter of the Ideal - This is not really playable in constructed. It should be a fun EDH card, however. Kiora, the Crashing Wave - By far the best blue card spoiled so far. Really, it's the only good blue card at the moment. Kiora will do some work in control decks, allowing you to lock down a problematic creature/'walker/Mutavault and force an opponent to over-extend into a big Supreme Verdict. It also makes UWg's spot removal less critical, which is important because of UW's lack of versatile spot removal aside from Detention Sphere. All the abilities on this planeswalker are powerful, it protects itself, it fits into a deck and it's just four mana. It DOES compete with Jace AoT but provides some things Jace doesn't. The green mana required will keep it out of a lot of decks, but it will be a powerful option for those dipping into green, without a question. Thassa's Rebuff - It's nothing too exciting. It gives mono-U devotion a slightly better option than the practically un-played Spell Rupture. It may make a main deck here or there but counter-spells don't really jive with what mono-U wants to do, which is plop things on the board. It's a 2-of MD at most, but should make a few SBs. B black Ashiok's Adept - It's not making black Heroic playable. It's more than two mana and... Agent of the Fates is better the majority of the time. Bile Blight" target="blank">Bile Blight - This does something. Black Devotion has been playing Pharika's Cure, which will still be a viable option for that deck to buy time against fast aggro, but kill a larger range of creatures and randomly being able to blow out, say, multiple Rakdos Cacklers makes this better imho. So long, Boros Reckoner. This isn't near Brimaz's level, but provides a very very strong card with a much needed glue card. Champion of Stray Souls" target="blank">Champion of Stray Souls - Couldn'ta made this legendary for EDH, eh? Oh well, still a neat card. Drown in Sorrow" target="blank">Drown in Sorrow - Infest! I'm a big fan of Young Pyromancer so naturally I'm not thrilled about this one. Fans of Lotleth Troll will similarly be disappointed by running into -2/-2 wiping their stuff out. Aside from the corner cases I just mentioned, black mono-B another valuable piece like this is sure to drive deck builders mad. One of the ways to beat mono-B was to overwhelm them with an early board presence and hope they couldn't recoup the life with Gray Merchant. Now... well, mono-B mages should be happy. Even as a simple sideboard option, it's a game-breaking option to have. The Scry 1 isn't needed for this to see play, but is additionally nastiness for opponents to deal with. Don't expect this to be a 4-of MD card, but like Bile Blight it's another piece to a very strong deck. Herald of Torment" target="blank">Herald of Torment - I initially dismissed this card. Now, I don't think it's going to do much for constructed now, but its potential is lying just under the surface. It may or may not be a player post-rotation. As for Limited: Shiv's Embrace is good in Limited, and Wind Drake is pretty good, you get both of those and +1/+1.. soooo really good in Limited, at least. Pain Seer" target="blank">Pain Seer - As I'm sure you've figured out: it ain't no Bob. This may slot into some Rakdos Aggro decks but I don't see this doing a whole lot in constructed except for derailing mediocre players who will try and "break" this card. Mogis, God of Slaughter" target="blank">Mogis, God of Slaughter - Black-based aggro wants this more than Red-based aggro, which his his fanatic as a sweet 4-mana finisher. That said, conditionally hitting an opponent for two immediately and then every turn after is powerful enough. You might actually prefer that Mogis DOESN'T become a creature so it's tougher for mono-B to remove. Unfortunately that deck can animate Mutavault or sacrifice a Pack Rat to stop from taking damage, or Gray Merchant themselves back to 20 life. I love the card, it's mondo cool, but I think it's hyped more than it deserves to be. R red Fated Conflagration - It isn't a mono-red burn/aggro card and the mana cost makes it difficult for G/R to cast. That makes it an awkward card. A very specific metagame will have to emerge for this to be in main decks. For now, I'll consider it a surprise sideboard card for specific cases. Flame-Wreathed Phoenix" target="blank">Flame-Wreathed Phoenix - This is the real question mark of the set so far. Is it Desecration Demon or is it a flop?! Mono-red burn/aggro doesn't want it, it'd rather have Chandra's Phoenix, Chandra, Pyromaster or ofc Fanatic of Mogis. There isn't room for it in fast decks. The question then becomes whether it'll see play in mono-R devotion or Gruul. As a finisher, Stormbreath Dragon is far more reliable and closes out games quicker. However, mono-R devotion could just run both! But right now I don't see this as a 4-of in any deck except for maybe mono-R midrange/devotion. Searing Blood" target="blank">Searing Blood - The perfect card for a burn deck with Chandra's Phoenix. Now if control is more prominent in the metagame, this card is bad--run Magma Jet. If the metagame is a lot of fast aggro mirrors, this could turn the tides there. I'd run some of these the first few weeks of the new standard, when fast aggro is more prevalent but this isn't a 'cram 4 into a deck and run with it' kind of cards. This is a metagame card, albeit a strong one. It won't make a huge difference in a red deck's success, although it is a nice piece. Ragemonger" target="blank">Ragemonger - I'm going to go out on a limb here and say Minotaurs won't be a strong constructed deck, but man this card is sweet. G green Fated Intervention" target="blank">Fated Intervention - It's not quite Advent of the Wurm but may prove a good option come post-rotation standard. The Bant Flash deck may appreciate this. Getting two bodies out of the deal allows you to avoid getting blown out by getting your dude killed after investing 5 mana. It's solid but not a 4-of option for standard, yet. I mean, Armada Wurm isn't even played. Nessian Wilds Ravager" target="blank">Nessian Wilds Ravager - This is another card that's easy to pass over. And you know what? There's a reason for it. Not having Trample and easily biting it to one-for-one removal that costs less than six mana, coupled with the fact it'll never kill anything your opponent doesn't want it to makes it unplayable in constructed. Skyreaping" target="blank">Skyreaping - A sideboard option at best, but an interesting one; it might be a piece in a future standard where flying souls might be lingering. Unravel the AEther" target="blank">Unravel the AEther - In this block this could end up being MD material! It tucks away a glut of problematic permanents, from a god's weapon to the god itself.. and deals will them cleanly. It's even a creature removal spell against Boon Satyr and the like)! Gotta love it. It's a great option to have. Fanatic of Xenagos" target="blank">Fanatic of Xenagos - While I'm not sure about the Phoenix, this looks like a Tribute card that's a safe bet to see constructed play. The reason is the efficient mana cost coupled with the fact it'll hit play turn 2 or turn 3 at the latest. Green-based Gruul decks love this card. Although it can be swept up with a Supreme Verdict after Tribute is paid, that's really the worst case scenario. There isn't a huge difference between the Tribute version and the other version of this card, and it does what Gruul wants to do, making it a 4-of standard player. However, it's not a saving grace of any archetype. The opponent having an important choice like putting your guy in Lightning Strike range or stopping haste really is a thing. I'm very interested to see how this card plays out. Kiora's Follower" target="blank">Kiora's Follower - Voyaging Satyr's new buddy. More Nykthos shenanigans, it seems. I don't expect it to see tons of play, thanks to the restrictive mana cost.. and that untapping more than just a land isn't likely to do much often, though I've been wrong before. Xenagos, God of Revels" target="blank">Xenagos, God of Revels - This is a sweet green card. Give us a sweet ramp card, Wizards! Slamming a Primeval Titan-esque card after this seems rather nasty and pushing through an additional 4 damage with your Fanatic of Xenagos or whatever it may be. Nylea, God of the Hunt was never that great but was easily turned into a creature because of Elvish Mystic, Polukranos, World Eater and company, making Xenagos especially dangerous. Five mana isn't a deal breaker, but this really begs for a fatty like P-Titan that's worth every bit of 6 mana.
The Lands - Temple of Enlightenment, Temple of Malice and Temple of Plenty are all incoming! *confetti* Put those guildgates back in your binders, folks! (except Maze's End durdlers) Springleaf Drum" target="blank">Springleaf Drum - It's a good card, but let's not get carried away here. This is not magical Modern Affinity land, this is Standard (with no 0-cost creatures, let alone good ones). Please, don't suggest using this like Dark Seer.
So!!! Where does that put our respective colors in terms of the power standings??? Well, after week one...
5. Red
Sorry, Red. I love you, but you haven't gotten any easy 4-of staple yet. A conditional but good burn spell and a big question mark doesn't address any of red's current weaknesses or bring so much undeniable power that red decks start cleaning up the top tables.
4. Blue
Kiora is the only reason blue is not in last place; she's primarily a blue walker made to be played with control cards, etc. Unless LSV gets his wish and Turbo Land comes back. But I can't blame him: that deck was sweet.
3. Black
You'd think black would have a higher spot on the list, but keep in mind most of the power of spoiled black cards comes from cards that were spoiled long ago. In other words, the new cards fit seamlessly into the current, arguably dominant black deck. For that reason black is kind of hovering in the standings now. Can we round up all the "MBC" (Mono-Black Control) fan boys and tell them to quiet down yet?
2. Green
Green got a lot of cool options. I got a great Gruul aggro option, a great Gruul ramp-friendly god, a sweet removal spell, and (partly) Kiora. Black could easily take this spot if green doesn't get more soon, however. You could easily argue that black is #2 already too.
1. White
Is Brimaz all that? Will its deck's archetype ascend to the top tables? I ain't no got crystal ball. But the power level is there. That's the main reason white hit the #1 spot but white also got a bunch of neat role players--some Heroic enablers and support like Hero of Iroas and even a playable Archetype.
Tune in next week for a week two (of spoilers) analysis! I'm personally looking forward to seeing the mythic UR card and some cool red or blue cards.
Infect was unplayable in constructed before there were more Infect cards, like Phyrexian Crusader and Inkmoth Nexus. As more cards are released throughout a block that either (a) use said mechanic or (b) support said mechanic or (c) both, keywords like "Infect" and "Heroic" start to look different. Although we haven't received confirmation about BNG's mechanics yet, chances are WotC isn't leaving Heroic completely out to dry and be forgotten, especially because of the large flavor tie-in to the Theros block with its gods and monsters.
What brought about this blog article?
1. Born of the Gods official previews start next Monday.
2. If some Heroic cards are going to spike in usefulness, best get them at their cheapest.
3. I work at a school in the Chicago area and we had two consecutive 'cold days' giving me plenty of time to stew about fun stuff. I released a new tune on Sound Cloud under my name J_Ruth, I cleaned a bit, I slept and drank and slept. Maybe my next article will be about the recent Luol Deng trade and the future of the Chicago Bulls...? But I digress...
4. With my recent free time (thank you, gods) I played Theros draft on MTGO. I start drafting UB. Pack two, pick one: Agent of the Fates. Thank you again, gods.
There are actually quite a few playable Heroic cards. Here they are, by color: W WHITE Favored Hoplite - It seems boring and innocuous. But it's one mana, which can never be underestimated, and it goes along with either the 'swarm' or 'voltron' plan. Phalanx Leader - The WW makes this a tougher nut to crack. It might be too good at 1W with Akroan Crusader. This card is powerful enough to warrant looking into the 'Heroic swarm' plan. This is much worse than Favored Hoplite if you don't have other dudes to pump, but can make things nutty with a strong early board presence. Fabled Hero - At three mana you're really hoping they don't have the removal for this card in response to your pumps. But if the metagame allows for such a thing, it will get steadily ridiculous. U BLUE Battlewise Hoplite - Scrying is what you want to do when you're running a low curve, need continual gas (either creatures or pumps), and will just lose to flooding out. This doesn't bring much in terms of speed and raw power but is a great filler option to help fend out "free losses" with Scry. Triton Fortune Hunter - This card looks a little better than it is. Heroic decks are based on playing little dudes, pumping them and killing them before they do something ridiculous. In other words, this card is too slow for Heroic and the pay-off isn't as good as Fabled Hero. R RED Akroan Crusader - I recently noticed that it makes tokens with HASTE. This card is really, really good. Unless something like Rhox War Monk is printed, it's a powerful card to use with pumps. Again, coming down turn one is huge. It also gives you great value against Rakdos Deck Wins, that lives on its X/1's and even as a way to chump a fatty in the clutch. Arena Athlete - This also fits into the 'Heroic swarm' plan by virtue of stopping bigger dudes from eating your little guys. Anax and Cymede - Honestly not sure here. The body is better than Phalanx Leader's to be sure, but the pump is not nearly as good. I doubt the trample becomes as relevant as a permanent pump. I might prefer Fabled Hero as sort of a Plan B as opposed to going all-in on the swarm plan, but it's your choice. Labyrinth Champion - Four mana is a lot. B BLACK Agent of the Fates. Wowwy wow wow. If you can untap with it you will accrue massive value. The trouble is that it's double black with little other black to back it up. Also there doesn't fit the balls-to-the-wall aggro plan as well as other available options. But this card fends off midrange and the like so well... it really depends on what BNG and Journey into Nix brings. Watch this card closely. Tormented Hero - If you're considering X/black heroic, play it! If the support is there, this is a clear staple. G GREEN
There isn't any good green Heroic.
At the moment, W/R is the only borderline playable deck in standard. But there's always a final push in the second set of the block to push a mechanic. See Huntmaster of the Fells or the Infect cards I mentioned at the beginning of the article. Even Worldwake, and its block's other assorted broken cards, gave us Hada Freeblade and Kazandu Blademaster to push Allies, although Allies weren't intended to be tier 1. My semi-educated guess is that Heroic returns in BNG and receives a little 'last set to make it good' treatment. With that Heroic decks may rise to tier 1.5 or so, but I don't see a fragile strategy, even with Boros Charm to protect your guys. Us financial speculators should certainly keep an eye on the daily spoilers next week. And keep in mind Heroic... and especially Agent of the Fates. [I just drafted again, made it to the third round and lost to Erebos and Agent... sigh...]
STATES! And it came and went. The metagame is FAR from being settled, which I think makes for more fun Magic as people strive to tune various decks while continuing to innovate. States however gives us a huge influx of information. Not every decklist is "perfect," but sometimes you hit the gold mine. I'm thinking of the breakout of the Kessig Wolf Run deck that ended up taking down Worlds. Interestingly enough we have a Pro Tour going on during the same weekend. Things will be a bit different next week.
...AND WE'RE ON TO THE GOOD STUFF!
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx - Well, I didn't see this coming. This card slotted into just about every good deck at Dublin for PT Theros! Incredible. It was in mono-blue devotion, mono-red, Gruul, mono-black and mono-green previously. With the new legend rule in you never have to worry about who plays their Nykthos first (which thankfully eliminates a lot of awkward gameplay decisions and deck building decisions). As it turns out being able to make more mana without using a single spell to do it (other than your board presence, which you were doing anyway) is very strong. Being able to make an extra play each turn or enable monstrosity is just excellent. Luckily this card didn't spike farther than $7 or so each so I felt compelled to finally buy my play set of Nykthos. It just did too many nasty things at PT Theros. UPDATE: Up from $7 each to $15 each! I'm glad I pulled the trigger on getting these as they just doubled up! For speculators and people really interested in playing Magic for less ALWAYS tune into Pro Tour events because there's always some significant kind of innovation or at the very least certain cards and strategized get cemented into the metagame, raising prices of certain cards. Sorry if this info is getting to you a little late. Doing your homework pays off!
Master of Waves - This was THE card of the weekend. Thassa, God of the Sea included, this deck took over PT Theros this weekend. Master of Waves was the "Hero of Bladehold," the finisher and the real reason to run that deck. It demands an immediate answer, effectively has 'Protection from Aggro Decks' and beats the tar out of any unsuspecting opponent or deck running light on removal. I expect we'll see this card/deck start to taper off but for the next year the Master will make its way in and out of the metagame and even some multicolor decks. In what was basically dumb luck I decided to take my own advice and buy a set of these last week for $15... so that paid off quickly. I need new tires so.. perfect. Words to remember: mythic rares have volatile pricing. Anything that looks playable that's mythic should be looked at, especially if it's a "value creature" like the Master. Low risk, high reward resulting in a purchase paid off nearly immediately! w00t.
Polukranos, World Eater - Gruul was my pick for the tournaments this weekend. Although you can prepare for Gruul guys coming your way there is so much raw power in this archetype. Stormbreath Dragon, Sylvan Caryatid (which I told y'all to pick up early on), Xenagos and lots of ways to continue to use mana on efficient beaters are good ways to win a game of Magic. Polukranos seems a little under-appreciated to me. Yes, still. It looks like it's on the upswing, ticking up maybe a dollar to $6-ish but there's lots of room for this to go Monstrous on someone's pocketbook. $$$$ that green stuff. Mihara's deck looked really good at PT Theros and I expect it'll continue to have success. We'll probably get some real ramp spell at some point, which will only increase Polukranos's value. There's a big supporting cast and I imagine it'll only get better.
Thassa, God of the Sea - I would be remiss if I didn't mention the co-captain of the Mono-Blue Devotion Deck. Being able to make your dudes unblockable is as relevant as it gets. And, well, I don't need to add more... high praises as of PT Theros. I'd stay away from purchasing Thassa and Master now because the metagame will adjust for mono-blue and these cards will start to drop slightly.
Tymaret, the Murder King - It's still available for a quarter each. This showed up in an interesting "Rakdos Midrange" decklist about a week ago and then again during States. I wouldn't expect this to take over standard or anything, but anything potentially playable and available as a bargain rare should be looked at. The synergy with Young Pyromancer and tokens seems cute, powerful even. It's a grindy card, the kind I like so perhaps I'm biased, but I have $1 to spend on a set. The ceiling isn't extremely high for this one but it's very playable and the floor is higher than a quarter each imho.
Obzedat, Ghost Council - Another card that had a breakout this weekend. The power level was always there but Rietzl/Chapin championing this as a 4-of indicates some Orzhov deck playability. I don't expect B/W to be Tier 1 but it's a solid pickup at the $15 it's at now. $15 is about as fair as it gets; it shouldn't tank and it won't go to insane heights because it's a niche deck archetype.
Unrelated: new Commander previews are now underway!
And now for a brief States analysis:
States was basically a big old Midrange fest. There were a few UWx decks and a few more mono-red decks but just about everything else was Midrange, Midrange, Midrange of all varieties. One deck (I have no idea if it's good) that caught my eye was Junk Reanimator, running 4 Rescue from the Underworld, 3 Whip of Erebos, 3 Angel of Serenity and 4 Voice of Resurgence. Voice looks even better when it leaves a token behind to get an Angel from the graveyard and then comes back, yeah? If Midrange continues to be wildly popular I'd take another look at that deck. Plus, Rescue from the Underworld is just so cool.
Boros Reckoner - You'd think it would have hit its peak at $15 but who knows? With everyone going crazy over Devotion and with the rise of Midrange strategies the Reckoner is poised to do some damage. It's already upwards of $15. I can't bring myself to buy a set now, as I just sold them at $15 (bought them at $10).. generally mono-red cards aren't worth this much. Naturally this can be played in other archetypes, but it hasn't really shown up in multiple archetypes the way we'd expect, and a good reason would be the mana-base. I'm going to guess that this one starts to cool off because $20 is a lot for a 'standard staple' rare. Restoration Angel peaked around $15 I think and why would this be so different (it's not even as good)? This is guaranteed basically to keep seeing standard play but should cool off closer to Born of the Gods' release. I wouldn't advise you sell them if you're into brawling and playing the occasional burn spell however. Like I said: staple.
Sorry folks I'm not very jazzed up on the States results. It's midrange of every variety which I thought we escaped when Thragtusk and company left. Sigh... Snooze Fest. PT Theros was by far more interesting, with players pouring in tons of time and skill to build the best of the best decks. I hope that the metagame continues to evolve because Midrange v Midrange all day doesn't sound like fun to me!
Last time I checked in we knew only about 100 Theros cards. Now that we have the whole set and had the weekend to play with Theros Standard for the first time, I'm going to unleash the full set review!!! Despite the SCG Open being fairly pedestrian with three major expected archetypes showing up: Mono-Red and UW or Esper Control (UW and UWB are basically the same thing, plus or minus Mutavault and discard spells). We did get a glimpse of some Gruul and Boros, however, and I feel teh Gruulz has teh toolz to continue to be a force in the metagame. Anyway, I'm here to talk about what cards you should consider buying, right? I'm feeling pretty good because my Chandras just doubled in value ($10-12 to $28-30)! Let's do this.
W WHITE W Chained to the Rocks - It's a solid utility spell that fills a big role in a very niche archetype. I never like to bank on things with restrictive mana costs and the like but we're talking about a one mana removal spell here.. Dreadbore, for example, bottomed out around $2 and I don't see why this would be any different. I wouldn't expect this to be a good "investment" however you'll definitely get some solid play value out of this card if you dip into W/R. Elspeth, Sun's Champion - This card is very good, there is no question about that. But think: will a Theros mythic that sees play as a 1-of or 2-of in decks that want it deservedly worth more than a Sphinx's Revelation (which is only $20 ea)? No. Perhaps there's some casual appeal I'm ignorant of but this card has a cap on its price because it'll pretty much never be a 4-of, even if it's in the best deck in the format. $25 is my expected price cap, and that's the high end when things settle down a bit. Great card though. Heliod, God of the Sun - Not a bad card but expect prices to drop on this one. It requires too much mana to do stuff. Jace and Elspeth are one time mana investments that pay dividends over time by themselves--this just ain't in the same category. Soldier of the Pantheon - Someone someday will rock White Weenie and it will feature a playset of this card, but that time isn't now. WW has the problem of running into Wraths but doesn't have red's reach via burn or haste or green's humongoid guys to close games out. It's obviously a good card but my semi-sorta-educated guess is that it won't find a home, making it worth less than $3. Champion of the Parish hovered in the $3-5 but this lacks the same kind of explosiveness that defined the Champ. Spear of Heliod - Like Chained to the Rocks, $2-3 is a fair price to pay. In aggro mirrors being able to go over the top with a Glorious Anthem and then be able to take out big monsters that come at you is really good. Being a legendary is a real restriction on this card but it won't damper demand so much that it tanks to $0.5-1 each.
U BLUE U Curse of the Swine - I'd pick this up if it ends up being a "junk rare." It should be an EDH/casual card, but I wouldn't actively invest in it. Master of Waves - No clue on this one, sorry folks. I bought a playset for $15 including tax and shipping and felt that's reasonable, enough for me to pull the trigger on a set anyway. The upside could be big but it could also slowly wither away into a $3 card, since mythics that "could be" playable with never go below $3 or so. I find the risk to be low and the reward to be plenty. There was an article about this card on SCG put up today but I wouldn't trust it until I see it. Still, $15 for a playset of potential playable mythics (that could be a 4-of in something) is a hard deal to pass up. Prognostic Sphinx - This is a strange one. It's not a finisher, it's not a planeswalker providing steady CA... but it's a good, efficient hard. It's hard to deal with and provides great card selection and a fine body. For under $1 each, it's a fair deal, but could easily be unplayed in a large card pool, e.g. when Born of the Gods arrives. I still like this card as a "tweener" that hits the spot between Jace and Aetherling or similar. Swan Song - I think it'll dip another dollar. Being fringe playable in older formats does affect price but not as much as standard (in the short term). I consider this a sideboard card or fringe playable in standard. Put it all together and I think $1.50 each sounds great, but $3-5 is on the high side. Though, to be fair, paying the price of a pack for one of these isn't bad as the power level is there. Thassa, God of the Sea - I'm sure people will be trying to make this work but I'm not convinced it's worth the effort. It's a "good" card but good cards don't win tournaments, great cards do. The other way to win is to have a great strategy, and loading up on blue permanents doesn't sound like one. Barring a combo deck that NEEDS the Scry 1, which I doubt will happen in Type 2, this'll continue to garner attention because it's a god but won't translate to the competitive environment very well.
B BLACK B Erebos, God of the Dead - Greed wasn't good. I know there's plenty more upside here but it isn't worth it. And trust me, this doesn't make Mono-Black Control ("MBC") playable, even if people for some reason want that deck to exist in every format. Hero's Downfall - Why is it rare? The word planeswalker? I don't buy that. Anyway, I'll buy this card because it's supremely useful. It's a big deal for Esper Control while in the mirror or fighting UW Control, really it's excellent against any control deck while being good enough against aggro. Blowing up a Domri certainly isn't bad. $5 seems a tad high but if you're going to play them it's definitely worth it. It'll dip a dollar or so but don't expect it to bottom out. Nighthowler - This one intrigues me, but realistically I don't expect it to do anything in the competitive Magic world. If you can pick them up for fifty cents I'd expect it to do wonders in some EDH/Commander decks, though I wouldn't consider this a "safe" investment. Thoughtseize - Whoa, baby. As sad as it is, $20 is a fair price. It's just a great card. Period. I could see them hitting $15 at some point when there's a good saturation of product but it won't ever get any lower than that probably.
R RED R Anger of the Gods - It's absolutely a good card. Unfortunately Control is back in a big way and I can see this going the way of Slagstorm, which started off above $3 and then became a dollar rare. This is slightly better because of Voice and the "exile" bit, but $5 is excessive for this type of effect. It'll drop to $1-2 in no time. I still picked up mine at $5, but I did so begrudgingly... just wanted to play with it NOW.... Ember Swallower - I consider this card the underdog of potentially worthy rares. I've nabbed a playset for less than two bucks and don't see that as a waste. It'll see some play I'm sure, probably in Gruul. It's not going to break the format or cost a million bucks ever but I see play value here. Firedrinker Satyr - There's always the $1-2 RDW rare one-drop that stays in that price range for its entirety in standard. I expect this to be that card. Hammer of Purphoros - Admittedly, I underestimated this card initially. Granting haste is fine but not playable on its own, but coupled with Golem-making as insurance against flooding out makes this. It's in the $3 area now, and I expect it'll go down a touch but won't completely tank. Purphoros, God of the Forge - Everyone knew this god as the best god, and rightfully so. However, "best god" isn't going to win you any tournaments by itself because this god has to be playable in a deck. There's value there but how much is definitely in question. I'd avoid buying this one as $16 is still too much for an unproven card. With all the Control around I doubt it'll be easy to turn this guy into a creature (while avoiding Detention Sphere and Azorius Charm or Supreme Verdict to wipe out your army). As a four mana enchantment I'd rather cast something that does damage by itself. Stormbreath Dragon - $30 is a lot, even for a strong mythic. Thundermaw Hellkite was more around $15 each for its stay in standard and I don't see why this would be so incredibly different as it's not even as strong. This is a very strong card regardless and won't ever go below $10 each, but $30 is a bit too much. I'd look at getting them around $20.
G GREEN G Arbor Colossus - It's cheap as dirt and sideboard playable. Very little upside but the cost is low, so it's good if you want to play with it. Boon Satyr - I see this card going in and out of green decks as the metagame dictates. $2 each is fine but it could drop a little more still. It won't be an auto-4-of in many good decks. Mistcutter Hydra - Looks like a sideboard card to me, or a few MD depending on the metagame. Obviously it's not great against non-blue decks, below the curve for competitive. I wouldn't invest in these. Buy them as you need them though. Nylea, God of the Hunt - Other than casual appeal, not good. Abandon ship. Sylvan Caryatid - The safest buy out of all the rares in the set imho. If Farseek somehow gets reprinted (it won't) this'll cool off, but as it stands it's almost as dependable as Farseek against decks without sweepers. $2-6 are all fine prices for this as it'll be an easy 4-of in a lot of G/x decks.
GOLD! Ashen Rider - It's all upside for this one. It's a powerful card. Whether or not we can pay the mana in standard, I don't know, probably not. But that won't stop it from being useful in reanimator strategies and EDH, etc. It's around $3 now and I'd feel okay about picking up a set. I wouldn't go nuts with it, however, until we see a successful deck featuring this card as more than a singleton. Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver - Another card I may have misjudged... but it is such a tricky one to judge isn't it? I'm not impressed with it functioning in control mirrors as I think you'd rather just wait to cast Jace, Memory Adept and win in short order but I could be wrong. This card is better than Memory Adept against aggressive strategies by a good margin, but will that make this MD playable across the board? I'm not sure. Cool design, good card, no idea. Fleecemane Lion - It's a solid guy. Since we're not expecting many Edict effects to be played in standard now it looks even better. I wouldn't typically say this about a two mana 3/3 but it looks like a staple and therefore $8 is a reasonable price, especially since Selesnya looks like it's going to keep being good. Steam Augury - A head scratcher in more ways than one. I don't think there's a great reason to go UR or stretch your UW manabase that far. The lack of graveyard interactions ensure it won't be worth a ton of cash, for now. If this bottoms out as a dollar rare I'd pick up a set or two. Xenagos, the Reveler - At my prerelease this card was worth nearly $30, now it's at $18-22. I sold mine at the prerelease for $18 store credit and, even though you know stores pay you less for a card than they sell it for (of course), it was the right decision. I'd be getting $10-ish at the store for this now. No one is saying it's bad. But is it that good? The plus ritual ability is not very good, Magic Christmasland scenarios aside, and the 0 is very solid but not amazing. This won't be the next Tibalt, the Fiend-Blooded but it'll continue its downward trend for a little while.
LANDS! Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx - People say Thespian's Stage would be worth a ton because of EDH. I argued that it would tank. This has more potential implications for competitive formats but not many. It should cool off to the $2-3 range eventually. That might be slightly wishful thinking but it's quite possible.
The Temples - I'm waiting til they leave the $5 range and head towards $2-3. They're strong enough to be $5 lands but some shocklands dropped to $6-7 while they were in standard AND being played heavily in Modern & EDH, so the power level drop to these lands would leave them around $3 methinks. They'll still be used but no one will be picking up multiple playsets.
There we have it. I hope it covered the stuff y'all wanted to see. Please leave comments and I'll hit you back! Peace, --Jon
First off: Theros looks sweet. There have been a ridiculously high number of flavor home-runs and clever designs spoiled so far. Of course some of those are competitively viable cards, others aren't. However I'm not going to discuss the merits of top-down design, the finer fantasy elements of the set or even limited. I'm talking competitive constructed Magic here with just a pinch of EDH/casual in consideration with financial predictions.
As I write this we have just hit our 109th spoiled card of Theros. A truly strong card printed after this may affect an archetype's viability and associated cards' prices. Also, disclaimer: I'm not perfect. And on we go!
W White Celestial Archon - Ah, Bestow. It's a neat mechanic, almost a reverse Living Weapon in that you get a creature buff and then a creature. This one is bomby but won't make it in constructed. Chained to the Rocks - I know I just said I wouldn't discuss flavor, but daaang that's some hot flavor. The art is killer too. The card's function is obviously restricted by the "enchant Mountain" bit and the fact it also costs white mana. Unless Boros/x becomes the nuts, and chances are it won't be dominant, it won't ever get out of control in terms of price. It's a great utility card but should drop a bit following its release. It will be worth more than a good sideboard card for sure but should be worth less than Dreadbore ($2) eventually. Elspeth, Sun's Champion - She's back and she's still making a bunch of soldiers. Speaking of that +1 is killer. It'll protect you and Elspeth well, even against Underworld Cerberus. A quick check on ebay reveals that she's worth between $15 and $20 which is relatively reasonable considering planeswalker preorder prices (they can get nuts). Six mana is a lot, but Elspeth does a lot. Do yourself a favor and see if white or blue gets strong spot removal, early card draw/ filtering or other sources of card advantage before purchasing the power of Elspeth. Similar to Garruk, Caller of Beasts I'd expect Elspeth to perform extremely well in one archetype while it's costed out of other archetypes. Although I think you're less likely to run more than 2 Sun 's Champions. Heliod, God of the Sun - The ability to make tokens at instant speed is good but four mana isn't the most impressive cost. My question: what kind of deck wants 4 mana instant 2/1s but also plays a plethora of more efficient early game creatures to activate the devotion creature ability? Unless you're rocking an enchantment deck with some Sphere of Safetys, this just isn't going to happen much. An indestructible 5/6 for 4 isn't bad in white aggro but using it primarily for its creature "side" is risky as it opens you up for blowouts where you'll lose devotion and instantly have almost no army. Pass. Phalanx Leader - It's not a rare but it's a stud. This card's power will come down to how easy it is to trigger Heroic without playing bad to mediocre cards to support that mechanic. Travel Preparations would have been nutty in Heroic.dec but alas we have no such options now. Getting rewarded with +1/+1 counters for the whole team is arguably better than Anax and Cymede's trigger and this is on a mono-color two-drop! There's no reason to not pick up this very strong uncommon, especially if you're into pump spells and auras.
[MANA]u[\MANA] Blue Artisan of Forms - Unfortunately i think this card falls into the awkward design category. Heroic does take some work and multiply that by two when we're talking about blue. If a blue aggro deck exists this is a possibility but only if you can really rely on triggering Heroic at will. I'd avoid buying this now.
Curse of the Swine - : head scratching : This is an obvious EDH/casual hit. Competitive doesnt want this but that's okay. It makes everything into green pig tokens.. Who cares if you can't slam it in your Spike deck? Wait until a month or more after Theros is released to get it cheaper and enjoy. Master of Waves - I really like this card. Protection from Red is extra strong in that it prevents targeting of red spells and damage from creatures and burn that doesn't target (Mizzium Mortars). The devotion trigger automatically gives you a pair of 2/1s including the Master himself. That doesn't compare favorably to e.g. Huntmaster of the Fells as your tokens will die when their master does and obvs no life gain or flipping to om-nom creatures. Getting more than a few tokens would be great but I think that's too much work, especially since this isn't exactly an ideal curve-topper for a blue aggro deck. I love it, but pass. Keep an eye out for more fishy folk. Thassa, God of the Sea - Another cool card and another one that'll have trouble getting going. I think blue devotion might be the toughest to get. Blue weenies just aren't built like red or white ones and you can't just spew out a bajillion little elves either. Scrying 1 every turn is no joke and neither is making creatures like Nightveil Specter unblockable. But when it's all said and done I think it doesn't see as much play as it could because blue aggro isn't going to be tier 1. Still a strong card though that future U goodies could make active. B Black Abhorrent Overlord - limited bomb, constructed flop. Not only does it require mono-black devotion on board, it's 7 mana. It can be reanimated but even then its effectiveness is conditional and there are likely better reanimation targets. Erebos, God of the Dead - My buddy texted me with this one talking about Greed on the black god. Well, the difference between drawing one and two per activation is obviously huge. In conjunction with cards like Vampire Nighthawk and Tendrils of Corruption where you have reasonable life gain to offset the life loss for drawing cards, this is a very good card. However MBC is likely left out in the dark yet again. Nighthowler - The bestow cost is very aggressively costed but Bonehoard never did anything except in my mono-black Pox EDH deck. Thoughtseize - Well, gee, y'all. This card is really really good. It's one of the better Magic cards of all time albeit a somewhat boring one. But while you're snoozing drawing this up in your decklist you can be sure it'll be pulling its weight in just about every matchup you're facing that tournament. Its exact value will come and go as Black/X decks go but you can be confident in its power. However keep in mind that there will be a lot of Theros opened. Not just because it looks awesome, but because it's the first set of a block in a traditional draft format. There will be Thoughtseizes pulled for months. $20 or so seems like a reasonable price a little while from now if you can wait unless it's a key 4-of in "The Deck." I wouldn't fault you for preordering a set for $30 each though, especially if you know you like to play black decks. Purphoros, God of the Forge - This is a tricky one. I'd stay away from "young Pyromancer combo" style decks and focus on this being a tool for decks that don't curve out at 4 and don't draw cards. Purphoros might do just enough between the various abilities to see decent play. I think this card is an awkward for with RDW as you'd rather get an instant threat or burn and have probably already played your hand. I'm going to tentatively go on record saying this card will mostly flop in standard. Stormbreath Dragon - The obvious Hellkite replacement. Although I'm not sure if having -1/-1 in exchange for pro-white and a monstrosity ability is a fair trade, it's close enough to where you know some deck will play this. With standard at its smallest card pool this has a great shot to do well in Big Red and Gruul, and Ramp if that archetype exists. $25 preorder is steep unfortunately and I wouldn't buy them for that price, $10-ish sounds much more reasonable. Cool card, good card, but I doubt it's the chase rare of the set. G Green Bow of Nylea - uh what does it all do again? 2 damage to a flying creature could be the strongest "mode" there it's very very metagame dependent. It looks like a Swiss Army knife of a sideboard card or meta call for the main deck. I don't spend more than $1-2 for SB cards. Nylea, God of the Hunt - Requires 4 G to become a creature. I doubt this card is competitively viable, especially coming on the heels of a set that encourages many colored decks. Polukranos, World Eater - After first reading the card text: not too exciting. There could be hidden value here that is only discovered by playing but I tend to stay away from buying stuff I'm not fairly certain about. This card has the most flexible Monstrosity activation being XXG. I'm inclined to believe that it does indeed die to removal and isn't fast enough for standard but you never know. Sylvan Caryatid - Utopia Tree got a makeover. Not being able to attack is hardly a drawback on a 0/x but getting +0/+1 and hexproof is huge upside. Hexproof really makes this a great option for something like Jund or maybe Gruul that still wants the reliability of Farseek. This is an okay pickup for $2-5-ish. It won't break the game but it'll give you what you need and rather reliably.
Multicolor Anax and Cymede - I think I'd rather throw my eggs into an indestructible basket (see the boros leader guy with battalion). This will underperform imho. Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver - Yawn, pass. Underworld Cerberus - ill but em up if they ever get below $5. I'm not sure what deck wants it but there are several unique and powerful abilities staples onto an efficient body. Xenagos, the Reveler - overhyped and overpriced at $30-40 each. The +1 isn't very great in most situations. The 0: is the bread and butter of X but is marginal better than a few other green planeswalkers of the past. If anything this is not going in a Domri deck, Domri's better there, this may go as a 2-of in Jund. There should be a price ceiling because of color and archetype restrictions as well as modest-good power level.
Land Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx - I'm sure this has some casual appeal but I don't foresee this having much constructed impact so expect to get one cheaper later. Remember that due to the traditional draft format, a lot of Theros will be opened.
The Temples - Not flashy, are they? Scry 1 for free is sweet though.no one will be chomping at the bit for these like they were for shocklands or Zen fetches but they'll be somewhat desired. In addition to what will be moderate standard play.. Did you think 'ah that could go in my x/y EDH deck?' Because that's what these things do. There should be a tad of casual demand but I'm still projecting these become less expensive as Theros block continues. What happened to the days where you could get SoM duals for $1-2 ea on preorder? Sigh.
Other notes: Removal
There's plenty left to be spoiled but not much significant removal outside of Thoughtseize, which isn't true removal, and the new hate cycle (Gainsay, etc.). Red is so far winning the race with Magma Jet, a new Searing Spear (but with better art and flavor) and another burn spell or two yet to go. The power balance of standard can sometimes hinge on the presence or absence or certain colors' removal spells, so be sure to take notes there.
Okay. I can't believe we aren't even halfway there yet! There have been a ton of good cards spoiled so far so we either know most of the goodies already or there is just that many decent cards in Theros. Either way make sure to enjoy your week! I'll be back with more as we learn more about the flavor-opolis known as Theros.
It's that time of year. The excitement of the newest core set has begun to die down, standard has more-or-less stabilized and other writers are getting paid (I accept donations! :D) to put their post-rotation thoughts on the web. Theros previews officially begin next Monday, August 26th, and we couldn't be more ready, am I right? Then a month later, September 27th, Theros hits the shelves.
As folks that generally want to buy their cards cheaper (and believe me, that's a necessity for me) standard rotation brings a unique set of challenges. Unlike pre-orders, pre-rotation purchases are less risky. You've already played with the cards and a card hasn't seen much play yet will have sunk in value making your investment less of a loss should it not pan out. In some cases this is the best time to buy a card. Okay! So let's jump right into the metagame predictions!
Azorius control - Surprise. Supreme Verdict and Sphinx's Revelation. Oh, you don't have Undying creatures anymore? I can deal with that. Y'all be judged-> BLAMMO. Dead. That only leaves Voice of Resurgence and Tajic, Blade of the Legion alive by my count. Though Boros Charm is going to be pulling A LOT of weight combating this deck, which will undoubtedly still exist in some form--still that's more work than simply playing out your undying creatures. Since we don't know if we'll have reliable access to three color decks (depends on the dual lands or lack thereof in Theros) white could really stand to gain a one or two mana spot removal card (more versatile than Renounce the Guilds perhaps) and blue would appreciate a one or two mana card selection/draw spell/cantrip. We could see Ral Zarek being splashed in some builds for the repeatable removal of little annoyances.
I'd wait to see some of what Theros is bringing before dropping all that dough of Revelations and Aetherlings. If you have the cash those cards and Supreme Verdict seem like safe bets, they'll be very good. If you have any natural inclination to play control you'll want Revelations, Verdicts and Aetherlings asap.
Mono-Red/Rakdos/Boros/Gruul - Another big surprise. [Truth: really even less of one.] Mono-red is near and dear to my heart because every rotation you can pick out a red build and rock it out immediately and it'll be a sharp weapon in a given metagame again later. Not sure what you're doing with that new deck of yours? I know what I'm doing, son! Bashing yo face in! TAKE TWO! lol, yeah, I loves me some red. [And let me remind you that if you're a better player you will win more regardless of deck type. But I digress...] Red has some interesting options: Rakdos Cackler, the lone one-drop, looks like an auto-include as does Ash Zealot. Then there's Boros Reckoner and Chandra's Phoenix which are night and day--one is the nuts against aggro and the other does a wonderful job against control. Then further metagaming must be done: there's the creature route (Firefist Striker, Legion Loyalist, Burning-Tree Emissary, Ghor-Clan Rampager, Mizzium Mortars) or the dudes and burn route (Gore-House Chainwalker, Chandra's Phoenix, Young Pyromancer, Dreadbore, Spike Jester, Rakdos Shred-Freak, burn). There's certainly some depth to R/x and many solid choices. Skullcrack provides a fine way to combat Sphinx's Revelations, though Rev is always going to be good.
-->Pick up 4 Mizzium Mortars and a few Dreadbore for sure. If you're missing any of the commons or uncommons, I'd splurge on those too. I'm going to wait and see what we're getting in Theros before buying Legion Loyalist because "dude decks" will have issues with Supreme Verdict naturally, so the Loyalist will need further support likely, but if it's going to be a "dudes" metagame then the Loyalist granting First Strike and letting you go right past 5/5 Wurm tokens could be amazing. Boros Reckoner is a pretty safe bet, it'll be good, it's not great against control but it's so good against aggro... I wouldn't buy Reckoners in the hopes of Minotaur tribal but just knowing what it does individually.
Selesnya/Naya/Bant - Another no-brainer. Voice of Resurgence is pretty much awesome. Let's also keep in mind Call of the Conclave, Loxodon Smiter and Advent of the Wurm. Oh, and perhaps a little card called Scavenging Ooze? Elvish Mystic also just entered the fray... This is starting to look like a deck. Domri Rade's presence in WG-based decks will depend on the lands Theros brings since you'll really need mana consistency in those first few turns.
-->I highly suggest picking up your Advent of the Wurms now if you're into this sort of deck. Although it's not the best in a Rade/raid deck, instant speed means you almost always get a 241 against aggressive strategies and since having over 4 toughness is the new standard, because Mizzium Mortars could be everywhere, this will be very difficult to deal with profitably. I could see Advent pop up in Bant Control lists and the like if the mana base is there, then you could run some other wurms... wurm midrange/control? Domri Rade is a solid pickup if you have the cash. Domri has game against pretty much everything. Drawing cards against control, eating blockers.. card is good. I don't have the cash for Mr. Rade and I wouldn't suggest buying him expecting to sell him for more later, although he'll always give you great play value.
Black - ...Honestly not sure where black is going to end up. It provides a good splash option with its removal (Doom Blade, Putrefy, Dreadbore, Far // Away) but I'm not sure if it makes many two color decks as it is. Rakdos Cackler isn't just a red card, which is worth noting, but I think red is going to be better in that aggressive role regardless. Black is looking more like a control supplement at the moment, with removal and card draw.
-->Underworld Connections, the common/uncommon removal and Dreadbore are worth picking up. Connections isn't easy to splash for but it could give Dimir Control an edge over Azorius Control. Grixis is also a possibility, with red hopefully providing cheap exile removal and Mizzium Mortars.
Alrighty then. Let's break down some RTR block and M14 cards going into Theros!
W
I'm going to put Supreme Verdict in here so the 'w' symbol doesn't get too lonely. There are some weenies like Precinct Captain that are low in cost right now, which is worth looking into if you think white-based aggro is going to be good. Okay, okay. Frontline Medic is pretty good. He has some game against aggro (indestructibility) and control (stopping revelations from happening). I don't think the Medic really exceeds 'pretty good' in any particular matchup and I'd take a pass on buying Medics. U Aetherling - If you're a control player you already have your set, don't you? If not, it isn't too late to hop on the victory train that never stops. I think getting 3 should suffice, seeing as it never freaking dies. This will go as control goes, but it'll be a mainstay of the archetype. B Abrupt Decay - This is a big boon to playing Overgrown Tombs. Detention Sphere? Cute. And you have counter-mana up? Awww, so sorry. Although Doom Blade, Putrefy and Ultimate Price won't be obsoleted by this card it provides an excellent option against a variety of deck types. It's not as good as Maelstrom Pulse was in standard but it's a card you love to have in your arsenal. Again, we await the new Theros lands to get a better idea of what's going on here. Blood Scrivener - Although Rakdos Balls-to-the-Wall Aggro has plenty of 2-drops, this can easily be played after turn two or post-sweeper to get that last burn spell FTW. I just got 4 for a quarter each, $2 for a set with shipping. Low risk, medium-high reward. The more one mana aggressive creatures and burn spells, the more its play value goes up. R Burning Earth - This depends a lot on the Theros dual lands or lack thereof. I doubt the "Big Red" deck will survive rotation and if midrange starts dying down as we'd expect this'll be relegated to the sideboard. I'd hold off on purchasing these until we see some Theros and can make more accurate metagame/manabase predictions. G Gyre Sage - I'm not totally convinced that this is a good buy. Sure, there isn't much acceleration in green (that we know of yet) but a fragile little guy that requires other guys to follow him before doing anything is hardly ideal. Since I expect an upsurge of control, it will be significantly less effective. However if it's all about aggro then this'll be an awesome option as a way to go over the top of aggro. Scavenging Ooze - Shoulda got 'em when I told you too! And who says pre-order prices are always bad?!? multicolor Beck // Call - Another low risk medium-high reward kind of card. You can get a playset for a little over two bucks now. This is far from a sure thing but should retain some value due to the fact it's the only other Glimpse of Nature printed, at least. Even if these sat in my binder they'd probably accrue a little value. If by some small chance it becomes standard viable with Young Pyromancer or some such thing, it'll easily hit $2+ each. Counterflux - Criminally underrated. You can get 'em for a quarter each. I have run some in Modern sideboards to great effect and will the expected return of control in standard it'll be a beautiful Last Word. Get a set. It'll always have some constructed use and at the very least will make a few EDH decks. American Control may be a thing and this is a sweet mirror-breaker. Plus, the look on your opponent's face when he/she two mana open and pauses after you cast your uncounterable counterspell... Deathrite Shaman - It's going to be good, but how good exactly?? That is the question. Manabases, graveyard-friendly cards and how fast/slow the metagame puts this card in a statement of uncertainty. Without fetchlands in standard Scavenging Ooze is better than the Shaman most of the time and with the Ooze expected to be somewhat popular it makes you wonder how much is going to be left in everyone's graveyards. Exava, Rakdos Blood Witch - It's the only curve topper left in R/x aggro. Since I think R/x aggro will be a fine deck this is a solid pickup at $1-$1.50 each. This becomes even better if a Selesnya Dudes deck becomes popular as First Strike on a 4/4 beats all their 3/3s and Smiters, and Haste is still good against Control last I checked. I wouldn't expect a huge amount of financial upside but it'll get the job done. Cautious buyers can wait to see if Theros tops this with anything. Lotleth Troll - This is a very good card. Again, we're waiting on Theros to see exactly how good it is, this time because of the graveyard interaction. A simple River Boa minus the Islandwalk plus a different color isn't the best--no doubt about that. Keep an eye out for creatures that enjoy a good stay in ye olde graveyard. Master Biomancer - If you're looking at standard I'd seriously avoid shelling out $5+ for one. This is going into my silly Simic put-tons-of-counters-on-everything EDH deck so I'm banking on this being a constructed flop so I can get one cheaper. If Warp World ever gets a reprint, however, that would be fun times with the Bio-Man. Notion Thief - I don't like paying much for sideboard cards but at fifty cents each it's worth it if you know you're drawn to playing Dimir/Grixis Control. It's an obvious foil to Sphinx's Revelation. Ral Zarek - This planeswalker and the M14 Chandra are both question marks for me in the upcoming metagame. Again, there's the consideration of manabases post-Theros but red does have some game as a control color with Turn // Burn, Mortars and Warleader's Helix. Zarek can also function as a curvetopper, letting you punch through damage with his tap ability or finish someone off with a Bolt activation. I find it funny he can even get your Chandra's Phoenix back. As an Izzet fan I own three but I'm leaving this one to you all to figure out! Ajani Vengeant used to be worth roughly $10 when it was seeing standard play but today is a different age, so it could go either up or down... Varolz, the Scar-Striped - He goes in a dudes deck and works pretty well with Lotleth Troll. The big question is whether there will be enough incentive to sacrifice your army for value. Although Varolz is a strong card I wouldn't bet on him post-rotation yet. Vraska the Unseen - Green is giving us more and more reasons to consider it in control builds, isn't it? Vraska's a pretty sweet sideboard when opponents don't see it coming. It's the opposite of Gideon, she suggests that creatures attack YOU instead of her. If you can reliably handle creatures this'll be sweet cleaning up the rest of the mess. I don't think Vraska is worth my money at this time but wouldn't be surprised to see her show up as a 1-of or 2-of at top tables, sideboard or main deck depending on the meta. X Ratchet Bomb - Get yours if you haven't already. Chances are you'll play it in some capacity over the course of a year or so. This becomes increasingly awesome as it can deal with 3/3 Centaur tokens and 5/5 Wurm tokens with ease, helps to neutralize Young Pyromancer's greatness and takes out opposing Detention Spheres, other enchantments (and Theros does have an enchantment theme) and of course the wide variety of dudes [if you haven't caught on that means creatures!]. Should Azorius not get any zingers of removal spells this could help fill the void as a ~2-of in the main deck.
What we're looking for in Theros at the moment...
Azorius/Blue/White Control needs more consistency via removal or card draw to reliably handle early hordes of creatures, since there isn't any Thragtusk or Batterskull to help it stabilize.
Selesnya needs either more playable creatures at the 1 or 3 mana spots or more good support spells like Selesnya Charm or a good manabase to include Domri Rade and Boros Reckoner.
Fast aggro wants good burn spells, preferably that deal with Voice of Resurgence. Annihilating Fire puts you so far behind. Even if you have Fire you need to wait, untap and then tap out for the three mana removal spell--for a deck that seeks to take advantage of the early turns of the game that's not ideal. You can only stand so many of your X/2's "trading" with Voice; it ain't a fair trade. R/x Aggro also needs direct damage because Mortars and Electrickery do NOT go to the dome and burn's strong point has always been reach.
Black needs some decent creatures. All those lovely zombies and vampire are going away. While black is great for spot removal, it won't be able to hold its own without a haymaker like Grave Titan or more than a couple efficient scary little weenies.
Oh man, the Theros release feels further away the more I think about it! In the meantime enjoy playing cards you might miss come rotation! Slam those Falkenrath Aristocrats, Thundermaw Hellkites and Thragtusks like there's no tomorrow!
We're only two weeks deep in M14 or three if you count the prerelease. This means people have gotten the chance to preorder, order, trade or otherwise acquire desired M14 cards, sleeve 'em up and use them. While there has been some motion in the way of standard metagame, so far mostly a few archetypes have been bolstered.
Let's see how my predictions panned out and what changes with current prices.
Kalonian Hydra - Still heading (pun intended) downward but prices are lingering as people figure out whether or not this hydra really makes the cut for constructed. There hasn't been a breakout performance at Worlds but there is a lot more Magic to be played. I'm sticking with my prediction that this card is still overpriced. There are too many natural checks and balances for this card, namely any kind of spot removal. Worst of all if it isn't given haste (as a 'combo' with something else) it'll be part of an X-for-one via Mizzium Mortars which is seeing plenty of play. And Thundermaw Hellkite is too good, having haste and super-evasion itself.
Archangel of Thune - Again, right behind the Hydra. For something that has less uses than Baneslayer Angel I'd expect to see less-than-BSA prices. Yet he we are looking at $25 Angels that haven't proven themselves in competitive. Lifelink is certainly nice but I had to choose I'd take the hydra over this one. There are too many conditions to fulfill for this to be better than a ridiculously huge beater in hydra, including an already strong board presence. Expect further price drops but slower than usual because of the casual demand and cool/wow factor.
Garruk, Caller of Beasts - I did say I wouldn't blame you for picking up one or two. This is one of the few M14 cards that has seen increased value since the release. I'd guess that EDH plays a role in its price because it hasn't seen much competitive play (but more than the two above cards) and is fairly restrictive in use. In terms of standard Domri Rade SHOULD be worth more: it's half the mana. I'd expect to see this card head back towards $10 unless casual/EDH demand really keeps it up there.
Mutavault - Against my prediction this card hasn't begun to drop off yet. There is undoubtedly a large amount of perceived value affecting the price. That is to say 'standard only' players hold onto this card not for their standard decks but because they're lead to believe vaults are valuable and should be held onto. Of course there's also the fact vault wasn't in Modern Masters and MM raised demand for many modern cards. I still think this is mostly a hype issue and not indicative of play value; still predicting a drop in price.
Scavenging Ooze - It's still reasonably priced, hovering in the same price range as before. $10-15 is plenty fine for a legacy/modern/standard staple. It has found a home in Jund and is plenty powerful enough to support other archetypes in standard. Same as before, a safe bet.
Chandra, Pyromaster - Now trending towards $10, Chandra remains as unpredictable to me as she is in Magic lore. Again, the abilities are all good but whether that makes a highly successful card or not perplexes me. My best guess at the moment is that Chandra will have to wait for a smaller card pool post-rotation to start having a real impact. Whether Chandra takes off or not for now it's looking like holding off on buying a set is the right idea. There are THREE planeswalkers coming to us in Theros, which is something else to keep in mind when deciding whether to buy or not.
Fiendslayer Paladin - Wowzers. This is #7 on our list? Perhaps due to Craig Wescoe's performance at Worlds or maybe because people just like lightsabers? I may have been incorrect about all the 'hate cycle' cards being relegated to the sideboard. Following up a gold block (RTR) means that you're much more likely for 'hate' to do its thing. I'll admit, however, I'm not sure why this carries the current price tag it does of $7 on the low. It's not that great. But I guess take that with a grain of salt?
Lifebane Zombie - While I'm confused on the paladin, this card I'll admit I may have underestimated. It's not impressive when the 'hate' isn't hating but when the hate's a-rolling it's a clean two for one. The Intimidate is especially relevant now as well. I'd still take pause before throwing this in all your B/x aggro decks as this is really a metagame call even with cards like Boros Reckoner around. I'm going to guess that this recent surge in price (just behind paladin) is due to Worlds and/or not much M14 being cracked. Expect it to start trending downward, however useful it is.
Xathrid Necromancer - It's higher than when we last looked, surely because of a winning BW Humans list, albeit not at the highest level. Unless that deck continues to perform as the metagame evolves this card will become cheaper for guys like me that want it for casual. This, also, is a result of limited sample size of standard post-M14. My educated guess is that this card's price will cool off in a month or two as BW Humans doesn't see that much success and then people look to sell theirs before Innistrad block and all of its (tasty) humans rotate out.
Primeval Bounty - Slightly cheaper than it was a few weeks ago. In Worlds we saw you won when it came to Assemble the Legion vs Bounty. It was the cheaper enchantment. I can see this having applications in sideboards in midrange against control matchups or similar as it seemingly randomly pops up and beats someone in a 100 turn game. This may drop another dollar or so, but I wouldn't feel terrible about picking up one or maybe two at $5 each.
That's your latest update! There seems to be a lot of price memory which can fade with a little more time. Some cards are trending this-a-way or that-a-way which could give us some insight into where they're going to end up. Of course theres always that sleeper or two that no one sees. Myself I'm playing it safe until we see some more M14 standard being played. Be sure to catch the last of Worlds on Sunday to get the latest!
Disclaimer: If you're looking to win a Grand Prix or Pro Tour this may not be for you. "In The Rough!" is all about finding cards that may be underused in formats, especially when it comes to formats with smaller card pools like standard.
Today I'm looking at some red cards that haven't been given the time of day, looking exclusively at the standard format.
1. Nivmagus Elemental - Y'all remember when Gerry Thompson rocked this out in Modern? His super secret special tech of using Ground Rift in combination with massive amounts of low or zero costing pump spells made for a great way to distinguish Nivmagus Elemental from Glistener Elf. Better still, you can search for it for one mana using Flamekin Harbinger. Standard doesn't have 'free spells' like Mutagenic Growth, which certainly takes out the element (pun not intended!) of speed. The bonus being that non-burn spot removal is much less common in standard.
2. Dual Casting - Yes, it's easy to get two-for-one'd if you don't watch out. But given a few turns of copying spells for a single red mana, things could get crazy. Once you get to where you're copying a Morbid Brimstone Volley the game should be done in short order.
3. Chandra's Phoenix - We already know it's playable because of its previous time in standard and it's high time this creature got some respect.
4. Wild Guess - Does it draw you cards? Yes, sort of. When you account for the spell itself you're effectively discarding two to draw two. Now Faithless Looting is better over-all, no question about that, but this gives you great card selection without being down a card like Looting is without Flashback. Honestly, it's the second best mono-red card selection we have in the format, 'nuff said.
5. Young Pyromancer - The format is too young for me to know if this is truly underplayed at the moment. All I know is that this spell is awesome and very well could be the 'why didn't I play this a month ago?!?' card in a month or so. Similar to how the UWR Flash deck functions it lets you switch from defense to offense just like that. It gives you time to assemble a combo with its blockers or lets you chip away at pesky planeswalkers like a boss, err a hawk.
In any case, this deck is all about playing with spells and making more spells. This spells D-O-O-M for your opponents. ..or so we hope.
I don't even know the total cost ($$$) of that deck! Young Pyromancers are ~$1 each and everything else is in the neighborhood of a quarter or less!
This has some of my favorite cards available: Young Pyromancer and Faithless Looting to name a couple. Remember that you're getting bonuses for "casting" spells which means you can get Weird, YP and Snipe triggers while keeping the ability to exile that spell for Nivmags counters. Also keep in mind that you can resolve a copy of a spell before the spell itself, allowing you to get the effect you want and use the "real" spell as food for the Nivmags.
The real "combo" is when you get a Dual Casting on a Blistercoil Weird. When you untap with a Dual Casting on the Weird and cast a spell, let the 'untap' trigger go on the stack and respond by tapping the Weird to make a copy of that spell, let the copy resolve, untap the Weird, and you get the opportunity to make a second copy before that spell resolves (or you can leave it untapped and attack).
On another note, copying a Wild Guess will only force you to discard one card total since discarding is part of the casting cost. That means you can RR+R discard 1, draw 4, netting 2 or even RR+R+R to net 4 cards; those are just raw numbers that don't include the card selection Wild Guess provides you with (in red). That's why it gets played over something like Dangerous Wager which would actually force you to discard your hand with each resolution, copy or not. And you CAN exile spells being used a second time with Flashback while the spell is on the stack.
As for the sideboard you'll like want to bolster your Flash/Control matchup which is where something like Chandra's Phoenix can shine. Pillar of Flame isn't as en vogue as you might think, especially in the decks you're siding it in against, and it's the #1 'exile' removal people use.
You could very well modify the deck to be a hybrid between the above list and Woo's Izzet Blitz deck (which is also fun to play) by adding U and/or W. Boros Charm is a good reason to play W as it acts as a Flame Javelin to the face (or 8 if copied), a way to battle Kessig Wolf-Run (first strike) AND a wonderful way to keep your team alive.
Let me start off by saying that you should never ever rely on Magic cards as an investment. If you're really deep into that sort of thing having a 401k, retirement plan, or even stock could be for you. However we're all here because we like Magic, yes? So I figure 'why pay more?' And sometimes 'why not make a marginal profit on some cards?' So even though I wouldn't rely on Magic for income, it's a hobby, there's no reason to not investigate ways to offset some MtG costs. I consider it a success if I buy a playset of a card, play with it (lightly, in sleeves) and then sell it for the same or more later. That's like a free rental!
For credibility's sake I'd be a liar if I said I never incurred a loss but I did place bets on some cards while they were at their lowest cost.. e.g. Falkenrath Aristocrat (>$5 ea), Geralf's Messenger (>$2 ea), Thundermaw Hellkite ($7 ea), Bonfire of the Damned (>$5 ea) and then sold them for over double what I paid.. off the top of my head. I don't consider myself a bragger but I think people respect other people's opinions when they demonstrate they've had some success in the topic being discussed. To be fair I have tended to overvalue "combo" cards like Reforge the Soul. Anyway... Oh, by the way, as a recent college graduate I am pretty much moneyless (without the moneys)!
Alrighty then, now that you all know where in coming from.. Here's my breakdown of the Magic 2014 core set "money" rares, as they're considered before the prerelease tonight. I'll be hitting on some of the highest priced cards in the set, what I'd pick up and when.
Kalonian Hydra - The two big mythics of the set are apparently five mana creatures that have no immediate impact on the game. This one in particular dies to Typhoid Rats or Nightshade Peddler. But wait.. this becomes a 9/9 when it first attacks?! And it has a certain ability: trample, which couldn't be more relevant. Another thing.. Llanowar Elves was basically just reprinted and green has no shortage of ramp. So the real question is whether an under costed 5cmc fatty that can "die to removal"--yes, I went there--has a $25 place in standard. Surely, it could steal some wins but can it really get you out of a hole the way a Baneslayer Angel or Thragtusk can? No. Can it put away a game as fast as Thundermaw Hellkite? No, as long as we're talking about turns 5 and 6 without ramp. This plus the factDoom Blade trades with it favorably means that it still may see some play but it's a far cry from a $25 standard staple mythic. DON'T BUY!!!
Archangel of Thune - This is the second of the pre-prerelease $25 mythics, a five mana creature. I suppose people feel this is a good curve-topper for an aggressive life gain deck, if an aggressive life gain deck isn't an oxymoron in standard. In Modern you have Ajani's Pridemate and Serra Ascendent... But do you have the time or resources to get to turn five with five lands in play and then tap out? Probably not. So it's looking like a standard only card if it can make it in that format. For this card to have an immediate impact on turn five reliably you need to already have a strong board presence with a bunch of Lifelink creatures (that aren't bad on their own) or another way to gain life without spending mana--preferably these cards do things other than just gaining life. Now if you get an attack in with Archangel you're putting at least one +1/+1 counter on each of your creatures. But I'll keep this short: not worth the effort, no resistance to removal and no reliable immediate impact. Look at Sublime Archangel which started off around the $25 or so this is going for, and I'd say that Archangel is better. The Hydra is slightly better because you don't need to do any work for it to get ridiculously huge. DON'T BUY!!!
Garruk, Caller of Beasts - This mythic ups the ante at six mana. However again it's in green and we just got Elvish Mystic which would invariably go in a new Garruk deck. Garruk is obviously creature friendly, especially green creatures. For some green EDH decks this is a no-brainer, it's sweet. For standard it has a lot of requirements for it be competitively viable, especially since it's in the same rotation as Domri Rade: 1) play tons of creatures, 2) play plenty of big mana-intensive creatures, and 3) get to six mana reliably. Although Garruk is undeniably strong he's restricted by it's -3 ability which is the only activation that affords Garruk some protection and it relies heavily upon another card. If you're going big, I might stick to Karn Liberated but for standard Mr. Rade looks to be better being half the amount of mana to cast. I wouldn't blame you for a preodering a singleton for your EDH/casual deck as $16 isn't that bad for a planeswalker right out of the gates and this does provide great utility given you have the mana and the protection, but I figure you could wind up with a Garruk for a few bucks less in a few months. WAIT A MONTH FOR YOUR SINGLETON.
Chandra, Pyromaster - Ah, the face of the set. Feel free to check out my Chandra review, which was given its own blog article. Don't get me wrong: Chandra 4.0 is good. She's absolutely playable in standard and will warrant a second look when Theros comes in and Innistrad block and M13 leave. But like I mentioned before the card seems like it wants you to be doing conflicting things: attacking with your early board presence (+1) and protecting your planeswalker to produce overwhelming card advantage (0). These aren't always in conflict and can in fact work together in some cases, but it presents an interesting deck building challenge. Because of the power level of Chandra's individual abilities, which is high, I'd expect Chandra 4 to hang in the $10-15 range. If aggressive decks taper off with rotation however midrange decks with Chandra could take off.. but we don't know Theros yet. Chandra is a bit of a wild card in my opinion but I'd feel safe waiting a month or two to pick up a few if you feel the potential upside is worth it. WAIT ALMOST THREE MONTHS FOR YOUR SET; THIS IS MY WILD CARD... CARD. MY WILD CARD CARD? YES, THAT.
Mutavault - A sweet reprint. I'm very happy to see this in M14 because I don't think it'll cause any shifts in standard. There may be a deck or two that wants it but mana bases are far too important with RTR block in standard and Wizards knew it. They're hovering around $15 a piece right now which isn't completely unreasonable for a card that has seen play in multiple formats including the dominant (standard) Faeries deck from a few years ago. That kind of "muscle memory" or "burn-in" is why this card is the price it is now. Being a $25 card for Modern and Legacy only, printing tons of them in a core set where there is absolutely less demand than supply will assure that the price will continue to drop. That is, unless M14 is such a stinker that few packs are opened and single prices are inflated. Like I said, $15 isn't terrible for a card you know will give you some use not only for the next year but beyond (eternal formats). Still, I feel like the price memory is still affecting its price tag so, again, I'd WAIT A MONTH OR TWO. By then, people will have realized that this is not a tournament staple it was made out to be (in standard).
Scavenging Ooze - This card, on the other hand, is probably right where it should be. $10-15 is reasonable for a card that should thrive in creature-infested metagames. For example, say you draw this turn five. You cast it. There are already creatures in both graveyards from the brawling that has been going on, so you immediately gain 3 life and you have a 5/5. This gains value as games become elongated and the Ooze's ability to come down, trade with a creature and gain life gives you the tools to make the game longer. While they're not as strong in multiples, especially in mirror matches, I don't see why this wouldn't find a place in standard. $10-15 is a fine price for a tournament worthy rare. Add in the fact you'll get value for Legacy and Modern and you have a winner. HAVE THE MONEY? GO AHEAD AND BUY. NOT MUCH RISK INVOLVED.
Primeval Bounty - This is a lot like a planeswalker that can't be attacked or destroyed easily. The trouble is that you need a bunch of other cards to make it work... and it's six mana. If there is a significant incentive to play Enchantments or a bunch of permanents like Warp World (why couldn't it be reprinted? sadface) this will be a marquee card in that deck. But at this point we're talking fun fringe decks. Still this could be fine sideboard material when you know games are going to go long and you want a way to win that isn't destroyed by Supreme Verdict or other removal. PASS.
Shadowborn Demon - It's like a five mana Flametongue Kavu that's way, way better. But wait... you have to sacrifice a guy a turn? That's rough. There have to be some extenuating circumstances where you have 6 (yeah, 6!) dudes in the yard... isn't Scavenging Ooze in the format now? Now in some kind of Birthing Pod style of deck, this could prove a nice little singleton as a virtual Murder there, as "non-Demon" is hardly a restriction. PASS.
Jace, Memory Adept - I'm glad to see this reprinted, not because of the god awful art, but because it's too expensive for its utility. It's at $5-6 M14 preorder which I feel is reasonable. You never know where things are going to be at post-Theros and having a card that completely busts open control mirrors could be what's needed. I wouldn't be rushing to pick these up, but BUY IF NEEDED.
Darksteel Forge - A good EDH reprint. You never know if we'll get a Goblin Welder effect in the future, which is what would make this playable in standard. This is a safe bet for EDH/casual for years to come. BUY IF NEEDED.
Sanguine Bond - See Darksteel Forge. If you want to get one for your EDH/casual deck, be my guest. It may dip down a bit following the actual release of M14, but it'll retain value because... infinite combo much? Exquisite Blood being in standard isn't really going to matter but someone will do it and it will be lols.
Witchstalker - I think I forgot about this card because I hate it. Feelings aside, it's at worst a Hexproof Trained Armodon which is actually not that bad. I'd almost put it on par with Loxodon Smiter, factoring in the easier mana cost. Then it can get bigger. FML. It's at $5-6 right now which is fairly reasonable for a creature that can be a nice utility guy at least and can sometimes straight up ruin your day. My fingers are crossed that this sees no play. DON'T BE A BAD GUY. DO NOT BUY! :0P
Liliana of the Dark Realms - RTR came, then GTC came, all the shocklands were standard legal... Liliana still did n-o-t-h-i-n-g. This is not worth the price of a pack. DUMP.
Lifebane Zombie - A 3/1 with Intimate is far worse than a 3/3 with Hexproof, even if being a Zombie helps it a bit. That means we're not maindecking this card unless the metagame gets ridiculous. So we're playing this card for its "hate" properties. As good as it is when the "hate" is doing things, it's still a sideboard card. Let's remember that no matter how good sideboard cards are, they're just sideboard cards. See Rest in Peace. PASS OR WAIT TWO MONTHS.
Fiendslayer Paladin - See Lifebane Zombie. However, this could be essential to combat mono-red in the future. At $5, no way. At $1-2, maybe. PASS OR WAIT.
Savage Summoning - This is one of the more overrated cards in the set. Honestly this isn't far off from an Autumn's Veil and it's worth $5. PASS.
Xathrid Necromancer - One of my favorite cards of the set. However the human restriction is too big for this to be a standard staple. I can't wait until this card's price drops so I can pick up a set. It's a great card in the right deck but that deck is incredibly niche. If it isn't an engine it's just a Penumbra Bobcat. By the way a lot of Humans are on the way out of rotation. PASS OR WAIT 3 MONTHS.
Ajani, Caller of the Pride - Similar to Liliana, this hasn't done much. I'd say it's better than Liliana is today's creature heavy standard but frankly I'd rather cast good auras on good double strike creatures. Worth about the price of a pack or less. PASS.
Mindsparker - Overpriced. A 3/2 First Strike isn't standard viable. Again, it's the "hate" ability that makes it playable. That makes it a sideboard card, which makes it worth a dollar. PASS/WAIT.
the rare Slivers - Slivers aren't going to be a Tier 1 deck despite Cavern of Souls being in the format. Predatory Sliver is the only one that makes that deck even remotely possible and it's common. PASS.
Well, I've covered most of the "money" rares in the set. It's looking like a whole lot of NO NO NO DON'T BUY right now, which as a broke dude I can totally appreciate. There are plenty of commons, uncommons be cheap rares that excite me, however. Let's do a short list:
-Young Pyromancer: ERMAGERD. Feel free to check out my article from over a month ago on Y.P. For $1 each that's a SNAP BUY if I've ever seen one.
-Elvish Mystic: It's almost like we've seen this card before... Huh... Yeah that's a format staple. Snap buy a playset.
-Predatory Sliver: Chances are extremely high there won't be a competitive slivers deck in standard but I'd there is its because of this card. This is also a no-brainer for pauper and casual sliver decks. It's one of the best, if not the best, sliver in Magic history.
-Kalonian Tusker: they're going for between a quarter and fifty cents each now. This is far easier to cast than a Flight of the Conchords. Excuse me, Call of the Conclave. I'm not sure how much play it'll see but creature decks are pretty much the real deal so I wouldn't forget this one, as simple as it is.
-Burning Earth: It's worse than Manabarbs in terms of practical use, and both cards are simply sideboard cards. But this is a sideboard card that can simply lock someone out of a game so it's worth a mention. They're about fifty cents each now which isn't terrible but it should get even lower. As a red Mage I begrudgingly accept this as the heir to the Barbs throne. Shock, Doom Blade, Ratchet Bomb, Act of Treason, Naturalize, Sign in Blood, Duress, Smelt, Fog, Essence Scatter, Brave the Elements: if you don't have any of the cards listed here, treat yourself to a playset of them. There's nothing worse than reaching into your box and realizing you don't have Doom Blades for your deck... Maybe that's just me. Many of the cards listed have a good shot at being printed in a future standard so do yourself a favor and splurge on these staples. chandra's Phoenix is another staple that's worth only about $1 but it's more restrictive in terms of play style. Well that's enough for now!
But hey, also keep in mind that if you're going to get $25 of FUN out of a card, go for it! Have fun at your local prerelease everyone, and godspeed.