Avacyn Restored Previews Part 2! Casting from Exile? Titan-esque Cards? Geist of Saint Traft as an Equip?

Hello again, and welcome to another round of Avacyn Restored previews!

Since it's been a while since some of the previews I wanted to do have been out and discussed to death, probably, I wanted to focus some attention on newer previews.

First off, we have a new Mythic Griffin to show you. Yes, you heard me right...Mythic Rare Griffin! And the nice thing is, he works wonderfully with another Mythic from Innistrad.

Introducing...Misthollow Griffin!

From MTGSalvation.com

Okay...so you may not be a big fan of it off the bat. 4 mana for a 3/3 Flier is kinda under the radar.

But read the next part.

Yes...it can be cast from Exile! Yes, that's right. When using him to fuel cards like Skaab Ruinator you're effectively not losing anything because you can always cast him later. And if they counter him? Just 1 more for the Ruinator feeding frenzy for Ruinator #2!

As well, this has a few potentials for yourself. If you're desperate for mana or life, for example, you could always Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares (respectively) your own Misthollow Griffin and re-cast it, effectively netting you advantage where otherwise you'd have none. As well, for blue deck it's a good anti-Leyline of the Void card.

I feel this is a card that will be undervalued at first. But when people realize the power of casting a creature that otherwise should have never again seen the light of day, I'd expect a bump in play accordingly.


Next, it's no huge secret the Titans from M11/M12 won't be back in M13 (initially, WotC was worried about players feeling cheated to have powerful cards in a Core Set only be legal for 1 year. Instead, they found the opposite was true thanks to the Titans). So the community was thinking "The Titan reign is over!"

Well...for the most part, yes. But WotC seems to be looking at a new generation of "Titans", or cards loosely based on how the Titans became so powerful.

Let me introduce you to one. He's a 6/6 for 4GG and has Trample...sound familiar? But instead of a Harrow-like effect, we get a Glimpse of Nature-type of effect.

Oh, and did I mention this card is only a Rare?

Presenting...Soul of the Harvest!

From DailyMTG.com

Oh yeah! I'd definitely play this. 6/6 for 6 with Trample is good in and of itself. But then I get to draw cards whenever a regular ol' creature of mine enters the battlefield? Well, considering green doesn't generally get good draw cards I'd have to say this is a wonderful treat at an affordable price. :)

Legacy won't go for it. It's too slow. But I wouldn't be surprised to see him in some kind of B/W Reanimator deck in Standard. Then again, it may be doing enough good things already and won't need this. Perhaps G/B?


And finally tonight (yeah, I know. Short spoilers. But life gets in the way, unfortunately. :(  ), we have the other Titan-esque card. It's not a creature card. It's not an Artifact that costs 2 extra to target it. No...it's a new Planeswalker!

Let me introduce to you...Tamiyo, the Moon Sage!

From DailyMTG.com

If you're like me, you're probably thinking "Wait...what's she doing on a Jace frame?" lol. Indeed, this is the first mono-blue Planeswalker since Tezzeret the Seeker to not be a Jace of some kind.

So why did I clump her in with the "Titan-esque" cards? Because...well, her first effect is pretty much Frost Titan's "When this enters the battlefield or attacks..." effect. And we know how powerful that is. :)

As for her other effects, they're all very nice. Her -2 is very powerful. Just tap all your lands (adding all that mana to your mana pool), then do -2 to refill your hand. Assuming you cast her off your lands, that's a minimum of 5 cards drawn! (EDIT: ...Ahem, that's if all your lands are creatures, anyway. -_-'') But still, opponent gets an attack going and you stop it? Next turn, draw you a ton of cards from a failed alpha strike. :)

As for her final ability, let me be clear that while I think it's a cool effect it's probably not going to matter much. I'd think that once you got to 8 loyalty you'd have been locking down their best creature for 4 turns while you're attacking as much as possible. But if you get it, not only do you get an unlimited hand size but anything that goes to your graveyard comes back! Yes, that includes Instants and Sorceries you cast. Imagine some of the Rite of Flame/Grapeshot stuff you could do if your deck is built in a "slowly but surely" manner. I ain't a-skeered of no Counterspells! :p


That's it for tonight. I may do one more round of previews before the set Pre-Releases or gets spoiled. But generally, you can go to DailyMTG.com and look for the Avacyn Restored product page link about halfway down the page, then go to the card image gallery to get most of the preview updates.


Until Saturday (for the charity tournament), see you all later! :)

Avacyn Restored Previews Have Started! New Keywords, New Legends!

Hey all!

This past week kicked off the start of Avacyn Restored previews (you know, that pesky expansion that comes out before Return to Ravnica. :p )

Today's articles were focused on showing off the new and returning mechanics of Avacyn Restored, and this weekend's PAX East convention showed off even more previews, mostly of Legendary Creatures.

Here are some of the general themes of the set, with previews to follow in order:

1) New Keyword Miracle, that gives an alternate casting condition when you draw it as the first card of the turn.
2) New Keyword Soulbond, which gives Humans a modern day version of Banding but for effects rather than combat.
3) Legendary Creatures galore exist in this set, most at Mythic Rare, and Angels are a heavy theme.
4) Wolves are back, as are a certain keyword from Dark Ascension.

Let the Previews begin!

1) As with almost all sets, we have at least one new keyword to contend with knowing. This set, one of them is Miracle. Miracle means "You may cast this card for its miracle cost when you draw it if it's the first card you drew this turn."

So you'd want to set this up with either Brainstorm or Preordain or Sensei's Divining Top to ensure that if it's in your next 3 cards you'll get a good effect very cheaply.

Oh...you want an example of a card that has Miracle? Well, geez. What else do you want from me, a Mythic Rare that gives an extra turn for 2 mana?

...

Well...why not have both?

Introducing...Temporal Mastery!!!

From DailyMTG.com

Okay, okay. "It's a Sorcery, so how can you cast it in your draw step?" Remember, rules text overrides general gameplay rules. Yes, normally you can't cast a Sorcery outside of your Main Phase when you don't have priority. Miracle, though, changes your allowed timing. It specifically says you're allowed so long as it's the first card you draw this turn and you cast it when you draw it.

Here's another question I'm sure will come up. "But how will we know when a person has drawn a Miracle card and wants to cast it for its Miracle cost? Could they not draw and claim they drew the card as their first card?"

That's where part of Miracle's effect text comes into play (no pun intended. :p).

Here's the proper way of casting a Miracle spell:
A) Draw your first card of the turn and look at it before putting it into your hand.
B) If it's a Miracle card (did you tell the border is slightly different? That's to help you realize you drew a Miracle card.) and you intend to cast it for its Miracle cost, you reveal it and then cast it.
C) If you're in the middle of an effect [like a Brainstorm cast on your Upkeep], then you'll still reveal the Miracle card if you intend to cast it and it's the first card you draw of the turn [which in Brainstorm's case would be the first of your 3 card draws], but you'll wait until after the effect that drew it resolves before casting your revealed Miracle card [in this case, you'll have to wait until Brainstorm puts 2 cards on top of your library before you cast your Miracle card].

If you choose not to cast it when it's drawn as your first card of the game, the Miracle effect will basically mean nothing. In Temporal Mastery's case, if you don't pay 1U when it's the first card you drew of a turn, it might as well just say "5UU, Sorcery. Take an extra turn after this one. Exile Temporal Mastery."

Is this a good card? let's put it this way...Personal Tutor has sold out of most online retailers in expectation that Temporal Mastery will effectively be a 3-mana Time Walk (1 mana for Personal Tutor, then 2 mana for Temporal Mastery). It's expected to be that good. At any other time? Well, it's the only extra turn card in Standard at the moment. Without Preordain or a Brainstorm-like effect to help nearly guarantee your Miracle card is the first one drawn of the turn, I'd almost have to evaluate the card based on its regular mana cost. And at 7 mana, I think blue can find other things to do (like cast Geist of Saint Traft and leave mana open for a counterspell).

Still, it'll be popular just because it's another blue "take an extra turn" card. I'd expect around $5 for this once excitement dies down. If you can pick it up for $2-$3, I'd take it in a heartbeat and use it at least in Commander.

2) Another new keyword has popped up in Avacyn Restored. You know about Banding and that you can't give all creatures Flying when you band a Flying creature or not all creatures get Double Strike just because 1 in the Band has it.

Well, we don't get a fixed form of Banding as far as combat stuff is concerned. We do, however, get one that allows abilities to be shared.

Introducing...Soulbond and its preview card from PAX East, Silverblade Paladin!

So here's a new term as well as a new keyword: "Paired" and "unpaired". This is meant to tell you that a Soulbond'ed creature can only Soulbond with one other creature, no more and no less. The Soulbond only works on a pair of creatures. Once 2 creatures are Soulbonded, a new Soulbond creature will need another creature to make a pair.

So Soulbond works when either the creature with Soulbond or another unpaired creature (meaning one that hasn't already been decided to pair with another Soulbond creature) enters the battlefield, and both get a bonus as long as they're Soulbond'ed (I don't like the term "paired" as it doesn't specifically answer "paired with what?"). Here, both the Knight and whatever it pairs with will have Double Strike.

There will be cards that reference paired creatures. For example, there's one that gives a target creature +2/+2 and gives the paired creature +2/+2 if there's a paired/Soulbond'ed creature with the original target.


3) Legendary creatures will be a theme of the Mythic Rares (and possibly some Rares) in this set. Since most know of Avacyn's preview as a creature herself, let's go with an Angel you don't possibly already know about ((unless you lurk the internet alot).

Introducing...Sigarda, Host of Herons!!

From DailyMTG.com

This shows us a couple of things about the set: 1) Angels will be a heavy theme (Avacyn was previewed last week, and there's already a Rare Angel previewed over the weekend), and 2) All Angels will be White but not necessarily all White. Oh, and 3) They can be pretty insane...on the good side.

If you had given this to me at 2GWW with Flying and Hexproof and 5/5 on its own, I'd have taken it. The fact that you can't make me sacrifice permanents?  Put on a Darksteel Plate and say "Oh hi Eldrazi titans!" :)

I guess this is what we're getting instead of Titans...efficient and good Angels. I don't know if she'll show up in every deck, but I wouldn't be surprised to see her at least as a 1-of in White decks that can at least splash Green. (Honestly, as good as Hexproof is, I think I'd want 3 or 4 so that should one die I'd have another ready to go).

I said we had more than Angels as Legendary Creatures, right? Right...well, how about one that can draw you 7 cards...on a regular basis!

Meet our new lord and master of the underworld...Griselbrand!

From DailyMTG.com

Whew dang! 8- mana for a 7/7 flying lifelink creature is good enough as-is, I think. But then you tack on its activated ability? And it's Legendary, meaning it could make a good Commander in mono-black. *facepalm* Wizards, Wizards, Wizards...don't give black card draw with a payment if we can just recoup it back! Plus put a sword on this guy and you'll be making life and drawing cards on each battle.

*facepalm* Just...just get you at least 1 of these, maybe 2-3 if you're a reanimator deck. This card will be sick. Downright...sick. I'd be surprised if it goes the way of Abyssal Persecutor: eventually $5 or under. This card, to me, is by far superior.

Oh, and as to why it's not "7 for a 7/7 that gains 7 life and draws 7 cards for that 7 life"? Playtesting showed 7 mana to be too strong. Can you believe that?


4) And last but not least, some things do stay the same from Innistrad and Dark Ascension. While we won't be getting any new Transform cards, we are seeing some returning themes and at least one returning keyword.

For example, check out Howlgeist!

From DailyMTG.com

It's not a bad card to start off. A 4-power creature that can't be blocked by 3's or less. Then, if it dies, it can no longer be blocked by 4's or less.

It dies to a lot of stuff, of course. And it's 6 mana to get out. But that 6 mana gets you a 4/2 and a 5/3. Disregarding exile effects, it's going to take your opponent 2 blocks or 2 cards (or 1 of each) to deal with it. It can help complete out an Undying deck.

Will it be a tournament Uncommon? I doubt it, at least not in multiples. Will it see Block Constructed play? I think there are enough semi-evasives to warrant looking at it, but I don't know all the cards in the format by heart so its use there may be limited as well. But overall I think it's a decent card with artwork that should be amazing as a foil. :)



I have more I can share later in the week, but for now that's all I have time to do. We hope to see you for the charity tournament a week from Saturday! I'll update with prize support updates in the middle of the week.

Until then, take care and enjoy Avacyn Restored previews!

Dark Ascension Previews for the Internet Infrequent, Part 1!

Hey guys!
  Those hints I posted last night about Dark Ascension? I want to go ahead and share the cards that fit with the hints. So in the order of those hints, here's the start of our Dark Ascension Previews for the Internet Infrequent! :)

  (Yes, I now put that to let everyone know these are not exclusives. This is mainly done for a couple reasons: 1) I have friends in the League who don't learn about new cards except through here and the links I provide, and 2) I just like ranting and seeing if I can guess the good cards correctly. lol.)


1) "There are only 13 new Double-Faced cards. Yep...13. And not all of them are creature-to-creature or Planeswalker-to-Planeswalker."

So the first preview isn't really a preview of a card. It's the Checklist Card that will be in most Dark Ascension packs. (And I'll assume it's the same ratio as Innistrad: In 75% of the packs, the basic land is replaced with a Checklist Card)

And here it is!

Picture from MTGSalvation.com

Already we can see a few things:

A) There are only 13 new Double-Faced Cards. This may explain why you can see the card names a little easier. :p

B) There is a multi-colored Double-Faced Card. It's a guess this will be a Legendary Creature because the name fits with what you'd expect to be a Legendary.

C) There are 2 Double-Faced Artifacts! And I'll preview one here in the next day or two.

D) There's a 1-mana Double-Faced Card.

These ought to be very interesting cards, especially the artifacts and the 1-drop transformer.

To go along with these previews, I'll be showing the Pre-Release and Release Double-Faced Cards later in this post, so watch out for those in just a bit. :)


2) "Reverse Persist, anyone? Yep, it's here. :)"
So you remember Persist, right? If the creature died and did not have a -1/-1 counter on it, it came back with a -1/-1 counter.

So what's the opposite?

Introducing Undying! Undying is a new Keyword, but the form of it isn't new. Undying effectively works just like Persist, but it mentions +1/+1 counters instead of -1/-1 counters. So while this mechanic wouldn't work in a Gavony Township-based deck, it might be interesting in other areas.

Like, for example, a green beatdown deck maybe? Maybe in Zoo in Modern? How about taking a look at this card before judging?

Introducing Strangleroot Geist!

From MTGSalvation.com

Holy cow! A 2-mana 2-power creature with haste that if blocked comes back as a 3/2 ready to block!? I thought this was part of the reason Wild Nacatl got banned in Modern. Now they're gonna give it back? *facepalm*

And this creature doesn't even need other specific lands. Just cast it, swing for 2, and if they block you get a 3/2. If not, you just got your 2 points of damage in.

On the plus side, there's really no other upside to this. It's not an Elf, it's not a Wizard, and it's not a Faerie or a Goblin, so we're safe from absurd brokenness. lol. But this little fella's powerful, I can guarantee that now. :)


3) "The Pre-Release and Release cards are still Double-Faced Cards...and they are creatures. They come from 2 colors not used in the last go-around in Innistrad's Pre-Release and Release promos."

Here we go! This will either be the reason you play in Pre-Release or Release events or the reason you'll just wait these cards out in the dollar bin. lol.

Like Innistrad, these promos are Double-Faced Cards, and they're both Rares. (Yeah, it's not fun that the Pre-Release isn't a Mythic again, but considering they're going with DFCs as the promos you can't really pull your only Mythic DFC to be the promo, can you?)

So without further ado, here are your reasons to go to Pre-Release and Release!

The first card is the Pre-Release promo. Remember Lord of the Pit? How about Time Spiral's Liege of the Pit? This DFC is sort of similar...but a lot more powerful and a lot cheaper on the mana cost!

I am proud to introduce Ravenous Demon/Archdemon of Greed!!

Image from MTGSalvation.com

WHEW! Okay, let's break it down...

For 5 mana, you get a 4/4 creature. Not good, right? Eh...maybe...

But here's one of the good things about this card...the turn you play him, you can Transform him! That's right! Just sac a human and all of a sudden you just paid 5 mana and a creature (beh! Worthless Humans!) to get a 9/9 flier that tramples!

Here's the big downside, though: You've gotta keep a Human in play in order to not take damage from the Demon. Even worse, if you don't sac a Human, you have to tap your big ol' 9/9 flier. So that definitely can suck. :( However, if he's in an otherwise Human-centered deck, it may not be that hard to keep going. ;)


The other Double-Faced Card is your traditional Werewolf DFC. It has the same Werewolf transform triggers and starts off as an otherwise vanilla human...but when he transforms, it's gonna cost your opponents to transform him back!

Presenting...Mondronen Shaman/Tovolar's Magehunter!

Okay, so a 3/2 for 4 mana isn't too good for staying power, but what if you got a lot more out of that? Say, 2-4 damage?

That's what Magehunter is there for! Let's say they don't draw anything to help them get rid of your Werewolf. You transform into Magehunter, maybe attack, and say "go." Now if they can't deal with it, they're gonna take 2 damage for every spell they cast, and if their intent is to re-Transform it they'll have to take 4 damage to do it.

Is it Constructed playable? I'd say barely. I think enough 1-to-1 removal exists to take care of this before it's a threat. But you may say if it takes a removal spell out of your opponent's hand, it's worth it already. :)


4) "A new mill card comes around...and if you Flashback it, it's twice as potent. :)"

Oh yes! Mill could be a decent archetype in either Standard or Modern now.

In one of last week's flavor columns, WotC hinted that Flashback'd cards may be more powerful than when they're cast normally. And in this preview, we see just how sick they can get.

Ladies and gentlemen, let's introduce a double-miller, Increasing Confusion!

Image from MTGSalvation

Whew! Okay, so let's get this straight...in Modern, I could combo this with Urzatron to help power out a huuuuge mill run...then next turn I could Flashback it for the same cost and get double the cards!?

What about Standard? If you run a Ramp deck, all you need is a single Blue so Hinterland Harbor in 4s would help along with just a few Islands.

I've always loved mill as a theme. Why worry about your or your opponent's life when you can just keep their cards from them? But I'd say to be Standard good decks would have to be able to produce more than 1 mana per land or keep mana birds and Pristine Talismans on the table long enough for it to count. In Modern or even casual, I'd love to mix this with Primeval Titan and the Urzatron. :)


5) "A 1-mana 2/1 that has its own form of Flashback."
Alright, let me set the record straight: Creatures do not have a Flashback-like mechanic. This is an individual card in the set that does this...at least, so far.

Let's give a few more hints. It's a Zombie, and it's the second 1-mana 2-power creature its had this block (the first being Diregraf Ghoul).

How good could it be? Well, let's find out.

Introducing our Goblin Guide-like creature of the block...Gravecrawler!

From MTGSalvation

Not too shabby for a 1-mana creature! Okay, so it can't block. Big whoop! It's a beater anyway!

Some are already talking about using him in MartyrProc decks (decks running the Martyr of Sands/Proclamation of Rebirth combo to gain insane amounts of life each turn) as a recurring beater/blocker. I see this as being the new low-end go-to creature for any Black deck that wants to try and get in for early damage. In a way, it's this block's Goblin Guide. While it won't see huge use in eternal formats (no Haste), I have no doubt he'll be a Standard superstar before the year's out and may eventually be a Modern star if MartyrProc goes aggro more than controlish.

And we're down to our final card of the day. You know how people always kid about the coming zombie apocalypse? Well...

6) "A card that says "destroy all Humans." No, I'm not putting words into this card's metaphorical mouth. It doesn't say "Choose a creature type, then destroy all creatures of that type." It says "destroy all Humans." :)"

Here we are, ladies and gentlemen. If you've made it this far, it's only fair that I give you what I think is the most flavorful and fun card in this set of previews. Will it be good? It depends on if Human decks keep it up as the SCG events or if something in Dark Ascension supplants them. But considering what's in the format now, maybe it's not unreasonable to play...Zombie Apocalypse!

From MTGSalvation

Yes, I can see the tagline now. "Zombie Apocalypse, it's coming! February 3rd, 2012. Are you ready?" lol.

But seriously, I like this card. I don't know if it'll be any good. It's a tribal board wiper, so unless you can guarantee a bunch of Humans gets caught up in this or that you have a lot of Zombies ready to come back from the dead, I don't know how much good this will be.

I could see a self-milling strategy with this and a full playset of Snapcaster Mage. It'll eventually cost you 8, but when you can get stuff like Geth, Lord of the Vault; Skaab Goliath; Skaab Ruinator; or Unbreathing Horde; or perhaps a strong Zombie comes out in Dark Ascension, this may be worth it from a reanimator standpoint.

On the negative sides, it brings the creatures back tapped, only affects one creature type, and is a Sorcery so you can't play end-of-turn shenanigans with it. So for its Constructed playability, I'll say again that it just depends on how big a threat Humans are. If they're a big enough threat, 6 for a board wiper may be worth it. If they're not, this will remain a strictly casual card until self-milling and better Zombies come along.

Still, though, this will be a cool card to have. It's one of those that could even get people who normally aren't into card games to try Magic. And if it can do that, I think it's a good card overall. :)

That's it for this round of previews...and there's still more! Did you know Ray of Revelation is coming back? Yep! So if Modern needed a Flashback-able enchantment kill spell, it has it now! There are also other new cards that'll preview tomorrow on DailyMTG.com and on Twitter and various other social media websites, so stay tuned to those for updates that I can't get out. :)

Also remember, our Innistrad League runs long enough to put a few packs of Dark Ascension into the League pool, so start watching out for cards you may want for your League decks.

We hope to see you all Saturday, but if not I hope you enjoyed the previews here.

Dark Ascension Hints and Insights

Hey everyone!
  If you're not on the internet a lot, just to check on here mostly, there are a ton of Dark Ascension previews that went up today!

  But for now, instead of doing a rundown of some interesting cards, I'm gonna give you a few hints about what's in the previews:

1) There are only 13 new Double-Faced cards. Yep...13. And not all of them are creature-to-creature or Planeswalker-to-Planeswalker.

2) Reverse Persist, anyone? Yep, it's here. :)

3) The Pre-Release and Release cards are still Double-Faced Cards...and they are creatures. They come from 2 colors not used in the last go-around in Innistrad's Pre-Release and Release promos.

4) A new mill card comes around...and if you Flashback it, it's twice as potent. :)

5) A 1-mana 2/1 that has its own form of Flashback.

6) A card that says "destroy all Humans." No, I'm not putting words into this card's metaphorical mouth. It doesn't say "Choose a creature type, then destroy all creatures of that type." It says "destroy all Humans." :)


Have fun thinking about these! :)

The Big Mystery of Innistrad: Day/Night Mechanic EXPLAINED!

(All information comes from here: http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/feature/157b)

A funny thing happened a few days ago. A promo image came up on MTGSalvation.com, seemingly showing two sides of the same creature.

Image from MTGSalvation.com Forums

It looks like this is a Mayor of Avabruck that can somehow become Howlpack Alpha. Notice the "3/3" and the arrow-like direction signaler pointing to the right side of the card. One part of the card appears to have a sun symbol and the other a moon symbol, seemingly depicting a Day and Night side.

"Wait...what does this mean?" people asked. They examined the card picture. "It's gotta be 2 sides of the same creature. I wonder how they'll pull that off..."

"Are we sure it's the same creature and not 2 different cards?" Answer: "It's 193a for the Mayor side and 193b for the Howlpack side."

"Maybe they'll use tokens for the Night side?" "Maybe they'll put the Night side on the back of the card's Day side." "Fools! They never printed an alternate card back BECAUSE of problems playing with different card backs."


Well...tonight we got our answer.

It's PAX Prime this weekend, and since at least last year Wizards of the Coast throws a party to celebrate the upcoming new set.

They revealed 3 Night/Day cards...but didn't reveal HOW they'd work.

Then we got our answer at Midnight.

DAY/NIGHT MECHANIC RULES


1) The Basics
Day/Night cards will be double-sided cards. That's correct! For the first time in a tournament-legal Magic release, some cards will not have a traditional "Deckmasters" card back.

Day and most Night cards will have a "transform" ability. This will be a condition that, when met, forces you to flip the card from one face to the other.

FOR EXAMPLE...

From MTGSalvation.com

So let's say it's your turn. On your upkeep, you check to see if anyone cast any spells in the previous turn. If they did not, you get to transform (flip over) Gatstaf Shepherd into this...

Image from MTGSalvation.com

So if you can somehow keep your opponent from casting spells, you'll get this guy on your next upkeep. Not bad, eh? 2 mana potentially nets a 3/3 Green Werewolf creature with Intimidate.

"Wait...it's got no mana symbols. Do you know it's green because of the border?"

Nope! There's an official way to tell the color. See the green dot right directly to the left of the word "Creature" in the type line (just below the illustration)? That dot denotes the creature's color(s). So Gatstaf Howler is green because the colored dot next to "Creature" is green, not because the frame is green.

But now we see another Transform Trigger: At the beginning of each upkeep, if a player cast two or more spells last turn, transform Gatstaf Howler. So on ANY upkeep, if ANY player cast two or more spells during the last turn, guess what you get back?

And on your turn, in order to get your 3/3 back, you'll have to cast nothing so on your opponent's upkeep you can transform into the Howler.

Easy as mud? lol!

Let's try this again. Pay attention to Screeching Bat in this 3-card picture.

Image from MTGSalvation.com

Screeching Bat is normally a 2/2 black Bat creature with Flying and a Transform Trigger. You may pay 2BB on your upkeep to transform the bat. What does it transform into? Just FLIP THE CARD OVER!

Image from MTGSalvation.com

It now becomes a black 5/5 Vampire creature named Stalking Vampire with ANOTHER Transform Trigger. (Quiz question: How do I know it's a black creature? If you said "because of the black dot next to 'Creature'", you've got the hang of it!) If you pay 2BB again during your upkeep, you transform Stalking Vampire. What does it transform into?

If you guessed the Screeching Bat, you're right! You would just flip the card back over.

NOW, then, here's the million dollar question...HOW THE HELL DOES DECK-BUILDING WORK WITH THESE DOUBLE-SIDED CARDS!?!?!?






2) Deck Construction with Double-Sided Cards


Since Double-Sided Cards don't have a normal Magic "Deckmaster" card back, if left unsleeved they'd be marked cards and you'd get penalized.

Wizards of the Coast thought of 2 solutions to this.

A) Play with Opaque Sleeves
The easiest way for a player to solve the problem is to just get opaque sleeves. Then the sleeves' backs will be showing and you'll have no problems. If you need to Transform a card, just take it out of its sleeves, flip the card over, and put it back in the sleeve.

If you do use opaque sleeves, be sure that the DAY side is the one that's showing initially face-up at all times except when in the transformed state, which can only happen on the Battlefield. The day side is the side with the mana cost, making it the default position.

B) Play with Checklist Cards
In most packs of Innistrad, you'll find what's called a "Checklist Card" and looks like this...

Image from MTGSalvation.com

Checklist Cards have a normal Magic back side. If you are not using sleeves or do not wish to use the actual double-faced cards in deck construction, you can replace them with these Checklist Cards and use them to stand in for the double-faced card on a 1-to-1 basis (that is, for every one double-sided card you take out, you use exactly 1 Checklist Card to replace it).

To properly use a Checklist Card, first take a double-faced card from your deck and set it off to the side. Then, take a Checklist Card and fill in the bubble next to the DAY SIDE'S CARD NAME. Then put the Checklist Card into your deck. There, it'll act as the double-faced card you said it'll represent until you're ready to actually use the double-faced card in play.

If you use a Checklist Card to replace at least one double-faced card, all other double-faced cards MUST be replaced by Checklist Cards. Also, a single Checklist Card replaces exactly one double-faced card.

So lets say you have no sleeves but want to use a Gatstaf Shepherd/Gatstaf Howler and a Screeching Bat/Stalking Vampire.

First, take out the Gatstaf Shepherd/Gatstaf Howler. Set it off to the side.
Next, take a Checklist Card and fill in the bubble next to Gatstaf Shepherd. Remember, only the DAY names are listed, so don't go looking for Gatstaf Howler anywhere on the Checklist Card.
Finally, put the Checklist Card in your deck face-down like a regular Magic card.

Repeat that process to replace your Screeching Bat/Stalking Vampire, but instead fill in the bubble next to Screeching Bat instead of Gatstaf Shepherd.

BE SURE TO USE A WRITING UTENSIL THAT WILL NOT SHOW UP ON THE BACK OF THE CARD. Any issues with that will result in your card being considered marked.

Clear as mud? GOOD! Play Magic Online. It'll be a lot easier, I'm sure. lol!!!

Now here's yet another question...what about drafting!?!?!?!?






3) Drafting with Double-Faced Cards
Drafting can get pretty tricky with double-sided cards. While they're still in their packs (as in, not yet picked), they are OPEN INFORMATION. A player may choose to show either side of a double-faced card and is not required to hide any information on it. However, players may take reasonable steps to conceal the identity of any double-faced cards. Regular-faced cards still follow the same hidden information rules: No player can look at a single-sided card except the person who's currently picking from among cards in that pack.

As for when you do pick a Double-Sided Card, you have a few options. Universally, as of Innistrad, you are not required to keep your drafted cards in the same pick order as how you picked them. While we do things more casually at SMM and already follow this new rule, keep in mind for the next few weeks at DCI-sanctioned events that technically you should not be putting cards out of order from how you picked them.

What this now allows is for you to be able to hide more effectively any double-sided cards you pick (though it's not just double-faced cards that can be put in out of order). For example, if your 5th pick is a double-faced card, you could grab a Checklist Card, put it on the bottom of your draft pile, and start piling up your double-faced cards right above it however you wish ("face up"/Day version showing once you go through your pile, or "face down"/Night version showing as you go through your pile).

Other than that, there's no change in how they're drafted.


And to wrap up, we have a mechanics issue...WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU COPY A DOUBLE-FACED CARD?






4) Copying Double-Faced Cards
This one actually gets pretty simple. See, cards that make copies don't have a double face. So if they were to "transform", they'd just turn face-down...if they transformed.

There's a new rule to take care of this, mostly for "copy" cards.

Any non Double-Faced Card that would transform instead does not.


So let's say you have Clone copy a Gatstaf Howler, the Night version of Gatstaf Shepherd. Then a player casts 2 spells after you copy the Howler. On the very next upkeep, you check. A player DID cast 2 or more spells, so Gatstaf Howler transforms back into Gatstaf Shepherd. BUT CLONE, on the other hand, has no back side to transform into. Therefore, Clone just sits there, still as a copy of Gatstaf Howler. :)


I hope that was all clear as mud for you all. lol! I'm sure there will be lots of questions. Feel free to post them here or E-mail me.

I'll be back later today with more reveals from Innistrad...including some enemy-paired dual lands, a new keyword, and a new Aura supbtype. :)

New M12 Jace Spoiled on G4TV. Mill Runs Rampant.

Welcome back, everyone!

Today we'll be looking at the newest Mythic Rare to be previewed from Magic 2012. We knew last week that Jace, Chandra, and Garruk would probably be getting new versions (thanks to some Japanese semi-spoilers of different artwork and different Japanese names compared to their Lorwyn brethren).

What we didn't now was what any of them would do...until now.

We saw with Belltower Sphinx yesterday that Milling would make its presence known in Magic 2012. But we didn't know how much until now.

Let me introduce you to Jace, Memory Adept!!!!

Courtesy MTGSalvation.com

The image may not be clear enough on what exactly this new version of Jace does, so I'll type it all out.

Jace, Memory Adept
3UU
Planeswalker - Jace
+1: Draw a card. Target player puts the top card of his or her library into his or her graveyard.
+0: Target player puts the top ten cards of his or her library into his or her graveyard.
-7: Any number of target players each draw twenty cards.
4 Starting Loyalty
Mythic Rare

O.O  Can you say "OMG"? This Jace is a miller's dream! For the same cost as Traumatize you get repeated milling of 10 cards a turn!

"But he can't protect himself! (see Garruk's "make a 3/3 creature" or Jace, the Mind Sculptor's "bounce a creature" abilities for examples)"

Well, no. This Jace definitely needs to be used in combination with some protectors. (Hmm...you know, Gideon Jura was wondering if he'd ever protect a Jace again. ;)  ).

So let's break down how useful his abilities are:

"+1": Finally, a Jace that draws you a card without going "-1" and builds itself up! AND it mills the top card of a player's library. How can you argue with that? Is it super powerful? Well, if players were doing "-1" on Jace Beleren to draw cards without giving their opponent anything, I think they'll happily "+1" to get the same thing and deny their opponent.

"+0": Mill 10? Seriously? Beleren had "-10" to mill twenty! And now we're getting "mill 10" for free? Can you say "Heck yeah"? This alone will make it a casual player's dream, and for tournaments if he can be protected and proliferated enough to keep living I can imagine Jace, Memory Adept being the centerpiece of a competitive Mill deck and winning games.

"-7:" Seriously?! DRAW 20? Okay, so for a mill player they basically got Jace Beleren's ultimate at 3 fewer loyalty needed and an extra loyalty already tacked on (Memory Adept starts at 4 vs. Beleren starting at 3). That and they no longer would need to worry about dumping a big Eldrazi titan and losing all that work. But what gets me is the multiplayer application. "Any number of target players"? So at worst I could help all my teammates and myself by drawing 20 cards each, and if we're smart enough to be running Reliquary Tower we'll never have to worry about discarding? While we get all the answers we probably could ever need? I'll happily pay 7 loyalty to do that. Now where did I put my Doubling Seasons so I could do this first turn out? :) :)


Where do I see Jace? If players can protect him enough and/or Proliferate him up enough, I think Mental Adept could be seen in competitive Magic. If Innistrad is a Graveyard-based block like some are expecting, you can mill yourself for advantage so he'll still see competitive play. Casually, EDH/Commander, and the like I can definitely see him getting play value. If I could pick these up for $10-$15 each, I'd do it. He'll be very popular, and we've seen that the casual market can make prices higher than cards may deserve (take Doubling Season, for example. $18 on the low end for NM copies? But it's not in competitive decks.)

What do you think? Too powerful? Not powerful enough? Are you approaching those conclusions from a competitive or casual standpoint (or both)? Let us know what you think!

M12 Previews! New Lightning Greaves. New Old Planeswalkers? More!

Hello and welcome again for spoiler season! It's a quick turnaround this time, going quickly from Commander to Magic 2012. Thankfully, Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 has helped us a little bit in what we know about the set. So with a video game and some sample decks to help us out, let's get rolling!

When Duels of the Planeswalkers came out for XBox 360 a couple years ago, WotC put out small 30-card "sample decks" for new players to run and get to feel out the game quickly. They've done the same for the relase of Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012. Each deck has cards mostly from M12. A majority of cards are reprints, but a few took people by surprise. Like, oh, I don't know, Goblin Grenade!?!?!?

Image from MTGSalvation.com

You'll have to look on the very bottom row to the left, but it's there. We lost Lightning Bolt, but we gained Goblin Grenade. I'd say in the fast burn department, that's a decent tradeoff. And with some pretty decent Goblins still in Standard, it may not be a bad time to trade out those Lightning Bolts for Goblin Grenades to get a few extra points through.


Hmm...still not amazed? Alright...how about a Lightning Greaves remake? I'm pleased to announce SWIFTFOOT BOOTS!

Image from MTGSalvation.com

Yes, folks, we have a Lightning Greaves upgrade. It's still 2 mana to cast, it still gives haste, but it has 2 important distinctions. For one, it has an actual equip cost now of 1. That may be bad...or it may be good. Look at the next difference. Notice the new keyword Hexproof? That's right! No longer do you need to leave your creature exposed to targeted removal when you're trying to do something to your otherwise Lightning Graved creature! Just leave the boots on and target away with your own stuff while being protected from your opponent.

I have a feeling that as long as this is in Standard it'll be the equivalent of Lightning Greaves is in casual: VERY fast, VERY efficient, and VERY worth the mana.


And finally, we have confirmation that both Sorin Markov and Gideon Jura are being reprinted. (Gideon's confirmation came from a WotC preview session during Pro Tour - Nagoya this past weekend.) So we assumed the other original Planeswalker characters would also be getting reprinted: Jace Beleren, Chandra Nalaar, and Garruk Wildspeaker.

HOWEVER, a video in Japan apparently talking about Gideon's story has revealed something interesting about the 3 Lorwyn 'walker characters still around: Their names in Japanese writing don't match up to their Lorwyn equivalents. (For example, Garruk has no symbols above his name in the Lorwyn version, but for M12 it seems it does).

So potentially, we could have new Planeswalker cards for the 3 "surviving" Planeswalkers from Lorwyn! Woo-hoo!


That's all for today. Tune in next week when I start doing preview posts for 1 card in each rarity per post. Until then, take care, and we hope to see you at the SOM block draft tomorrow!

Commander Deck Lists! And Patterns in the Decklists

Hello, hello!

With the Commander decks releasing this upcoming Friday (June 17th, MSRP of $30 each), some stores have already gotten their shipments...and unfortunately for WotC busted them open for deck lists and singles.

But thank goodness for the community they did, because they've shown what a deal these decks can be!

Before I get to the actual deck lists, though, I want to point out a few common themes among them.

COMMON THEMES IN COMMANDER THEME DECKS
1) Each deck comes with a Sol Ring and a Lightning Greaves. Yes, every single Commander theme deck comes with nearly $15 worth of cards right off the bat!


2) Each deck comes with one of the 5 Planar Chaos Legendary Dragons, each of which is from one of the "wedges". This gives you a familiar card to start using as your Commander.

3) Each deck comes with 2 new tri-color "wedge" Legendary Creatures to also potentially serve as your Commander.

4) All decks have a new 2-color "enemy pair" Legendary Creature as a Rare.

5) All but 1 of the decks have 3 of the old Ravnica Signets (2, Artifact, EFFECT: 1, TAP: Add [insert allied color pair mana symbols here] to your mana pool.). The only one to not have them? Political Puppets.

6) Each deck has only 1 new card in common between all 5 of them: Command Tower.

Yep, you read that right! A card that's only good in one format, Commander, and is inherently limited to one per deck. Hey, look on the bright side of it: A playset only consists of 1, and you'll get it in any deck you buy! :) And on another bright side, we finally have a card that's strictly better than Reflecting Pool. ha ha!

7) Every deck has 3 of the new "Vow of [something]" Enchantments. What are these "Vows"? Well, for example...

All the Vows have some common themes:
  a. They are all mono-colored Enchantments.
  b. They all cost 2C (2 plus their color).
  c. They all provide a power/toughness boost (usually +2/+2, but green love beatdown!).
  d. They all provide an on-color ability addition (green is Trample, white is Vigilance, etc.)
  e. They all have Pacifism-like abilities in that the creature can't attack you or a Planeswalker you control.

These could be good in regular casual, I think! Here are all 5 Vows for their Power/Toughness boosts and granted abilities:
  1) WHITE: +2/+2, Vigilance
  2) BLUE: +2/+2, Flying
  3) BLACK: +2/+2, Intimidate
  4) RED: +2/+2, First Strike
  5) GREEN: +3/+3, Trample

Each Commander theme deck will have the 3 Vows for their colors (so for example, Political Puppets, a RWU deck, will get the Red, White, and Blue Vows)


I've tried to hunt for more similarities, but I can't find a lot where every deck had the same theme. Feel free to point out more as you find them in the lists.



And now, the moment you've all been waiting for...the actual lists!


(These lists are taken from this post on the MTGSalvation forums.)

Mirror Mastery

Commanders: 1 Riku of Two Reflections 1 Animar, Soul of Elements 1 Intet, the Dreamer Creatures: 1 Magus of the Vineyard 1 Veteran Explorer 1 Fierce Empath 1 Edric, Spymaster of Trest 1 Conundrum Sphinx 1 AEthersnipe 1 Chartooth Cougar 1 Rapacious One 1 Spitebellows 1 Deadwood Treefolk 1 Elvish Aberration 1 Baloth Woodcrasher 1 Hydra Omnivore 1 Nucklavee 1 Valley Rannet 1 Faultgrinder 1 Krosan Tusker 1 Simic Sky Swallower 1 Trench Gorger 1 Avatar of Fury 1 Magmatic force 1 Artisan of Kozilek Planeswalkers: 1 Garruk Wildspeaker Artifacts: 1 Sol Ring 1 Armillary Sphere 1 Gruul Signet 1 Izzet Signet 1 Lightning Greaves 1 Prophetic Prism 1 Simic Signet Enchantments: 1 Vow of Flight 1 Vow of Lightning 1 Vow of Wildness Instants: 1 Brainstorm 1 Fire/Ice 1 Tribute to the Wild 1 Colossal Might 1 Invigorate 1 Spell Crumple 1 Electrolyze 1 Ray of Command 1 Prophetic Bolt 1 Hunting Pack

Sorceries: 1 Collective Voyage 1 Hull Breach 1 Cultivate 1 Kodama's Reach 1 Firespout 1 Ruination 1 Explosive Vegetation 1 Chain Reaction 1 Death by Dragons 1 Vengeful Rebirth 1 Disaster Radius 1 Call the Skybreaker 1 Savage Twister Lands: 1 Command Tower 1 Evolving Wilds 1 Fungal Reaches 1 Gruul Turf 1 Homeward Path 1 Izzet Boilerworks 1 Kazandu Refuge 1 Rupture Spire 1 Simic Growth Chamber 1 Temple of the False God 1 Vivid Crag 1 Vivid Creek 1 Vivid Grove 7 Island 8 Mountain 13 Fores

Devour for Power

Commanders: 1 The Mimeoplasm 1 Damia, Sage of Stone 1 Vorosh, the Hunter Creatures: 1 Nezumi Graverobber 1 Skullbriar, the Walking Grave 1 Riddlekeeper 1 Fleshbag Marauder 1 Eternal Witness 1 Troll Ascetic 1 Yavimaya Elder 1 Solemn Simulacrum 1 Brawn 1 Wonder 1 Sewer Nemesis 1 Gravedigger 1 Lhurgoyf 1 Dreamborn Muse 1 Mortivore 1 Desecrator Hag 1 Mulldrifter 1 Acidic Slime 1 Vulturous Zombie 1 Dark Hatchling 1 Extractor Demon 1 Scythe Spector 1 Wrexial, the Risen Deep 1 Triskelavus 1 Slipstream Eel 1 Butcher of Malakir 1 Patron of the Nezumi 1 Szadek, Lord of Secrets 1 Avatar of Woe 1 Artisan of Kozilek Artifacts: 1 Sol Ring 1 Dimir Signet 1 Golgari Signet 1 Lightning Greaves 1 Simic Signet 1 Oblivion Stone

Enchantments: 1 Vow of Wildness 1 Vow of Flight 1 Vow of Malice 1 Memory Erosion 1 Grave Pact Instants: 1 Tribute to the Wild 1 Spell Crumple 1 Fact or Fiction 1 Relic Crush Sorceries: 1 Minds Aglow 1 Shared Trauma 1 Sign in Blood 1 Stitch Together 1 Cultivate 1 Windfall 1 Buried Alive 1 Syphon Mind 1 Unnerve 1 Rise from the Grave 1 Syphon Flesh 1 Living Death Lands: 1 Barren Moor 1 Command Tower 1 Dimir Aqueduct 1 Dreadship Reef 1 Golgari Rot Farm 1 Jwar Isle Refuge 1 Lonely Sandbar 1 Rupture Spire 1 Simic Growth Chamber 1 Svogthos, the Restless Tomb 1 Temple of the False God 1 Terramorphic Expanse 1 Tranquil Thicket 8 Forest 8 Island 11 Swamp

Heavenly Inferno (Personal Note: This is the one I'm picking up.)

Commanders: 1 Kaalia of the Vast 1 Tariel, Reekoner of Souls 1 Oros, the Avenger Creatures:  1 Mother Of Runes 1 Orzhov Guildmage 1 Boros Guildmage 1 Gwyllion Hedge-Mage 1 Duergar Hedge-Mage 1 Lightkeeper of Emeria 1 Razorjaw Oni 1 Anger 1 Voice Of All 1 Dragon Whelp 1 Furnace Whelp 1 Serra Angel 1 Shattered Angel 1 Fallen Angel 1 Bassandra, Battle Seraph 1 Oni of Wild Places 1 Mana-Charged Dragon 1 Malfegor 1 Angelic Arbiter 1 Archangel of Strife 1 Angel of Despair 1 Bladewing the Risen 1 Avatar of Slaughter 1 Akroma, Angel Of Fury 1 Reiver Demon 1 Dream Cacademon Artifacts: 1 Sol Ring 1 Armillary Sphere 1 Boros Signet 1 Lightning Greaves 1 Orzhov Signet 1 Rakdos Signet 1 Darksteel Ingot Enchantments: 1 Soul Snare 1 Vow Of Duty 1 Vow of Malice 1 Vow of Lightning 1 Stranglehold 1 Pyrohemia 1 Righteous Cause

Instants: 1 Path to Exile 1 Bathe In Light 1 Terminate 1 Orim's Thunder 1 Mortify 1 Congregate 1 Return To Dust 1 Sulfurous Blast 1 Wrecking Ball 1 Master Warcraft 1 Cleansing Beam 1 Comet Storm Sorceries: 1 Syphon Mind 1 Diabolic Tutor 1 Evincar's Justice 1 Syphon Flesh 1 Akroma's Vengeance 1 Death By Dragons 1 Earthquake Lands: 1 Akoum Refuge 1 Barren Moor 1 Bojuka Bog 1 Boros Garrison 1 Command Tower 1 Evolving Wilds 1 Forgotten Cave 1 Molten Slagheap 1 Orzhov Basilica 1 Rakdos Carnarium 1 Rupture Spire 1 Secluded Steppe 1 Vivid Meadow 1 Zoetic Cavern 8 Plains 8 Swamp 8 Mountain

Political Puppets

Commanders: 1 Zedruu the Greathearted 1 Ruhan of the Fomori 1 Numot, the Devastator Creatures: 1 Goblin Cadets 1 Spurnmage Advocate 1 Jotun Grunt 1 Wall Of Omens 1 Fog Bank 1 Nin, The Pain Artist 1 Azorius Guildmage 1 Court Hussar 1 Gomazoa 1 Guard Gomazoa 1 Vedalken Plotter 1 Wall Of Denial 1 Plumeveil 1 Flametongue Kavu 1 Windborn Muse 1 False Prophet 1 Brion Stoutarm 1 Chromeshell Crab 1 Izzet Chronarch 1 Dominus of Fealty 1 Rapacious One 1 Arbiter of Knollridge Artifacts: 1 Sol Ring 1 Armillary Sphere 1 Fellwar Stone 1 Howling Mine 1 Lightning Greaves 1 Prophetic Prism 1 Champion's Helm 1 Darksteel Ingot 1 Dreamstone Hedron Enchantments: 1 Soul Snare 1 Journey to nowhere 1 Vow Of Lightning 1 Ghostly Prison 1 Vow Of Duty 1 Propaganda 1 Vow Of Flight 1 Prison Term 1 Crescendo of War 1 Martyr's Bond

Instants: 1 Brainstorm 1 Flusterstorm 1 Lash out 1 Punishing Fire 1 Pollen Lullaby 1 Perilous Research 1 Vision Skeins 1 Whirlpool Whelm 1 Chaos Warp 1 Oblation 1 Murmurs from Beyond 1 Repulse 1 Spell Crumple 1 Wild Ricochet 1 Reins Of Power 1 Scattering Stroke Sorceries: 1 Breath of Darigaaz 1 Trade Secrets 1 Death By Dragons 1 Austere Command 1 Insurrection 1 Skyscribing Lands: 1 Azorius Chancery 1 Boros Garrison 1 Command Tower 1 Evolving Wilds 1 Izzet Boilerworks 1 Terramorphic Expanse 8 Mountain 8 Plains 12 Island

Counter Punch

Commanders: 1 Teneb, the Harvester 1 Karador, Ghost Chieftain 1 Ghave, Guru of Spores Creatures: 1 Aquastrand spider 1 Deadly Recluse 1 Sakura-Tribe Elder 1 Scavenging Ooze 1 Monk Realist 1 Selesnya Evangel 1 Golgari Guildmage 1 Selesnya Guildmage 1 Nantuko Husk 1 Fertilid 1 Spawnwrithe 1 Vampire Nighthawk 1 Spike Feeder 1 Yavimaya Elder 1 Squallmonger 1 Penumbra Spider 1 Sigil Captain 1 Shriekmaw 1 Dark hatchling 1 Hornet Queen 1 Vish Kal, Blood Arbiter 1 Symbiotic Wurm 1 Celestial Force 1 Chorus of the Conclave Artifacts: 1 Skullclamp 1 Sol Ring 1 Golgari Signet 1 Lightning Greaves 1 Orzhov Signet 1 Selesnya Signet 1 Darksteel Ingot 1 Acorn Catapult Enchantments: 1 Soul Snare 1 Fists of Ironwood 1 Necrogenesis 1 Vow of Malice 1 Awakening Zone 1 Vow of Wildness 1 Oblivion Ring 1 Vow of Duty

Instants: 1 Attrition 1 Aura Shards 1 Doom Blade 1 Tribute to the Wild 1 Footbottom Feast 1 Afterlife 1 Mortify 1 Nemesis Trap 1 Cobra Trap Sorceries: 1 Alliance of Arms 1 Cultivate 1 Harmonize 1 Syphon Flesh 1 Bestial Menace 1 Hex 1 Hour of Reckoning 1 Death Mutation 1 Storm Herd Lands: 1 Barren Moor 1 Command Tower 1 Evolving Wilds 1 Golgari Rot Farm 1 Orzhov Basilica 1 Rupture Spire 1 Secluded Steppe 1 Selesnya Sanctuary 1 Temple of the False God 1 Tranquil Thicket 1 Vivid Grove 1 Vivid Marsh 1 Vivid Meadow 8 Swamp 10 Forest 8 Plains

Well, what do you think? Are these decks worth the $30 MSRP? Are any of them just utter crap? Remember, these decks are meant for multiplayer Commander use, so judge their inclusion in the decks accordingly. Though feel free to judge the new cards in more of a regular 60-card idea for Legacy and Vintage only.


I hope you've enjoyed the (few) previews here. This week I'll start tackling M12 for its release on July 15th (and Pre-Release the weekend before that, July 9-10). Look for more posts this week on the new Core Set! Until then, take care.