Category: Khans Of Tarkir - Life... Successfully

Winterflame - A Magic the Gathering (MTG) Card Review

10/18/2017

by Phoenix Desertsong, Old School Duelist

Winterflame from Khans of Tarkir is no Fire // Ice. Whereas Fire // Ice, a popular Legacy card, was a split card which let you choose which half to cast, Winterflame gives you the ability to get one or both effects. Most of the time, you would choose both. But it’s not quite as good as the classic split card.

Fire for 1R gave you the option to split the 2 damage between one or two creatures or players. Ice gave you the option to not only tap a target permanent for 1U, but also drew you a card.

Winterflame is definitely a powered down version of these two effects. It only allows you to tap creatures, which isn’t quite as useful as Ice, plus you don’t get the benefit of drawing a card. It’s much weaker than Electrolyze, which is basically Fire except that it also draws you a card, also for 1UR. It’s a weaker version of those two cards. Adding drawing a card as a third option while still only allowing two to be chosen would have made this much better. As it is, Winterflame probably wasn’t even good enough to be a rare.

Although Khans of Tarkir turned out to have plenty of powerful cards, Winterflame was certainly not one of them. It didn’t really see any sideboard play. Even in Commander, a format that tends to adopt many competitively shunned spells, only a handful of Melek, Izzet Paragon decks bothered to include this card. Outside of Khans of Tarkir Limited (drafts and sealed deck), this card was pretty much a dud.

Is Deflecting Palm a Modern Burn Sideboard Staple? - Magic the Gathering

5/10/2017

by Phoenix Desertsong

Deflecting Palm is an instant from Khans of Tarkir with an effect in the vein of Reverse Damage and Divine Deflection. But Reverse Damage gained you life instead of dealing damage, and Divine Deflection required a mana investment of X - making it very inconsistent and usually rather inefficient as a sideboard card.

With all of the damage that some decks can dole out, Deflecting Palm can serve as a valuable secret weapon. As good as this card can be, though, it never took off in Standard as a regular sideboard card. While it seems like it would be good against the monster that Atarka Red became in Standard, it was considered too narrow to keep in the board.

Despite missing its chance to make an impact in Standard, Deflecting Palm is definitely useful enough to hold onto. In fact, Deflecting Palm is a one or two-of in most Modern Naya Burn and Boros Burn sideboards. It’s good in a lot of match-ups, and even in those that it ordinarily isn’t, two or three points of damage swung the other way can mean the difference between a loss and a out-of-nowhere victory.

Why is Deflecting Palm Good in Modern?

One of the main reasons Deflecting Palm is a one-of in many Modern sideboards is that it helps Burn decks find the last few points of damage that can sometimes be elusive. What matchups is it best against?

The coolest thing about Deflecting Palm is that it does not actually target a source of damage. This means it can get around hexproof, such as creatures targeted by Vines of Vastwood. It also means that a deck like Bogles which lives on hexproof creatures such as Gladecover Scout and Slippery Bogle isn’t protected from Deflecting Palm. So this is a perfect counter to a pumped up Bogle, too. It also can’t be stopped by the popular Spellskite, since Deflecting Palm never targets.

Is Deflecting Palm Good Against Infect?

Another matchup that comes to mind is Infect. Even though the damage is no longer infect damage once Deflecting Palm redirects it, all you have to do is wait until your opponent uses a great many pump spells on one creature in a bid for the win. It’s usually going to be in the neighborhood of 10 damage you’re throwing back at your opponent’s face. If you’re playing a Burn deck, that’s usually going to be enough to win the game outright. Infect likes to win quick. Even if Deflecting Palm doesn’t win the game right there and then, it’s made the Infect player expend enough resources that they may not be able to reload before the rest of your burn spells finish them off.

Deflecting Palm and Emrakul & Other Eldrazi Titans

Another great use for Deflecting Palm is against the massive Eldrazi. Even Emrakul, the Aeons Torn can’t stop 15 damage from being redirected to its controller’s face, even with protection from colored spells. You’re only choosing a source of damage - not actually targeting the creature. If you play Deflecting Palm in response to Emrakul’s annihilator trigger, it’s usually good game for you - as 15 damage is a lot for any opponent to take. Against a Kozilek or Ulamog, it’s pretty much a win for you, too.

Because it doesn’t target, any protection that a creature might have from colored spells doesn’t matter. This includes popular creatures like Etched Champion in Affinity. It’s also to good to have in the deck in case you’re going up against a huge Arcbound Ravager, so playing against Affinity is a good time to bring it in.

Is Deflecting Palm Good Against Lifelink?

Yes, Deflecting Palm nerfs opposing creatures with lifelink. Because the damage becomes prevented first, the lifelink no longer applies when the damage is then re-dealt by the effect of the Palm. It’s really good in the corner cases where you may be staring down a Serra Ascendant or massive Bogle with Daybreak Coronet attached. Also, if you have a Soulfire Grand Master in play, you benefit from getting the lifelink from any damage it causes.

What’s Deflecting Palm NOT So Good Against?

People will ask if Deflecting Palm is good against cards like Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle or Grapeshot on a regular basis. The way that Deflecting Palm is worded, it only affects the next time a source of your choice would deal damage. Because Valakut has so many triggers and Grapeshot has Storm (meaning you actually copy the spell) you only get to stop one instance of damage.

Can Deflecting Palm Be Good Against Scapeshift Decks?

Deflecting Palm can be good against Scapeshift if your opponent doesn’t have enough triggers to win the game if you can prevent 3 of the damage. Similarly against Grapeshot and Storm decks, you can stop 1 of the damage. Sometimes your opponent will have just enough for exact damage, and you can delay their win by a turn. It's probably not a great card to sideboard in against Scapeshift, though.

Is Deflecting Palm Good Against Ad Nauseum Decks?

Another common question is if Deflecting Palm is good against Lightning Storm, a win condition of the Ad Nauseam Combo deck. In a vacuum, yes, Deflecting Palm would throw the Lightning Storm right back at your opponent. But Angel’s Grace can put that down in a hurry. Still, the alternate way to go below 0 life, Phyrexian Unlife, would likely turn a lot of that damage into infect. So it’s not the worst card to have in reserve against that deck, especially if you’re sure Lightning Storm is their win condition.

Deflecting Palm and Double Strike

Another thing that Deflecting Palm isn’t so good against is double strike - something that Boros Charm gives creatures all the time in Modern. It only stops one half of the damage, whether it’s the first strike or regular damage. Speaking of Boros Charm, Deflecting Palm is pretty good against that card’s 4 damage to the face mode - but you need to watch for Skullcrack, which is an extremely popular card in Modern, especially in Burn mirror matches.

Future Value of Deflecting Palm

With the bannings of Splinter Twin and Summer Bloom in Modern, two of the decks that Deflecting Palm wasn’t too good against are no longer in play. Deflecting Palm was useless against the essentially infinite number of Deceiver Exarch tokens with haste that Splinter Twin could make. Amulet Bloom decks had Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion to give Primeval Titan double strike, and Pact of Negation usually stopped it in its tracks. The decks that have replaced Bloom are either Scapeshift or Red/Green decks that use Kessig Wolf Run’s pump ability to win the game with the Titan. Deflecting Palm has no problem throwing Wolf Run’s damage back.

Even before the bannings and major metagame shifts, Deflecting Palm had a 5x foil multiplier when it comes to price - with non-foils at about 50 cents vs $2.50 for foils. Modern sideboard cards have a funny way of driving up foil prices. Naya Burn and similar decks are so popular that even one or two foil copies coming off the market still goes a long way in price growth. By late 2017, non-foil Deflecting Palm would pass $1.50 and foils pushed $5.

While I wouldn't recommend hoarding every Deflecting Palm you can find, keeping a few in your collection is a good move. While it’s not good against every deck, if you’re already throwing a lot of burn spells around, you never know when you might need those last few points of damage to win the game.

Read more Magic the Gathering Modern articles here.

War-Name Aspirant - A Magic the Gathering (MTG) Card Review

3/20/2017

by Phoenix Desertsong, Old School Duelist

War-Name Aspirant is a decent creature with the Raid mechanic. She's a 2/1 Human Warrior for 1R. Her Raid ability is that it enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it if you attacked with a creature that turn. A 3/2 for 1R is very good, obviously. Also, it can’t be blocked by creatures with power 1 or less, which is not an irrelevant thing. At the time, Sylvan Caryatid and its 0 power was a very popular creature in Standard. So, the Aspirant could get through Caryatid for 2 or 3 damage without any hassle.

This gal did see some Standard play in some builds of Red Deck Wins, although most of the card's success was seen in Magic Online Daily Events. To be fair, this was a pretty good card at the time and scanning Top 8 deck lists probably doesn't do it justice. She was also an extremely solid creature in Limited.

After leaving Standard, War-Name Aspirant mostly sees play in Commander. The Warrior is listed in about 100 EDH decks according to EDHREC. Primarily, the Aspirant is played in the Warrior Tribal focused decks led by Lovisa Coldeyes and Najeela, the Blade-Blossom. Also, one of the better one-vs-one Commanders, Zurgo Bellstriker, has played a copy of War-Name Aspirant. Other Commanders who have recruited the Aspirant include Zurgo Helmsmasher, Lovisa Coldeyes, and Alesha, Who Smiles At Death. As one of the better creatures with Raid from Khans of Tarkir, it's nice to see that War-Name Aspirant still sees some play, even if it's fairly limited.

Mindswipe - A Magic the Gathering Card Review

3/20/2017

by Phoenix Desertsong, Old School Duelist

Mindswipe is a fascinating permission spell. It costs XUB, where X is the amount of mana your opponent has to pay in order to have the targeted spell not countered. However, Mindswipe also deals X damage to that spell’s controller, whether or not that mana is paid. So not only do you have a permission spell, but you also have a pseudo-Fireball. It’s a counter-spell that can kill someone, even if the permission cost is paid. The greater the X cost that you pay, the better this card gets.

There’s an older card from the Dissension set similar to this called Overrule It was XWB to cast, with the same permission effect, except that you gained X life instead of dealing damage. Again, you gained that life whether or not the spell became countered. A counter-spell that can also deal damage whether or not that spell gets countered is a very good card. You don’t usually see permission spells that get more powerful as the game goes along. So, was this card a key to making counter-burn a real deck in Standard again?

Unfortunately, as good as Mindswipe is on paper, it never really saw much competitive Standard play. It did work its way into a Top 8 Jeskai Control deck as a four-of. Also, some Jeskai Tempo decks like this one would run a single Mindswipe. But beyond that, it didn't see much top level play. Mindswipe never really made its way into Modern decks, either.

Yes, Mindswipe is a solid card. But, you have to dump lots of mana into it in order to get full value from it. It wasn't played much in Standard. While the damage is a nice bonus, most of the time you may only get in between one and three damage. While it seemed like a nice counter-burn option, it didn't really find a home in most decks that would want it.

Unsurprisingly, though, Mindswipe does see a fair amount of play in Commander decks. It's also unsurprising that the Commander who takes the best advantage of this card is Mizzix of the Izmagnus. This is because Mizzix makes X spells very good, since her experience counter ability makes instants and sorcery spells cost 1 less for each experience counter that you have. It's a very powerful card in that deck.

Also, Mindswipe sees some play in Melek, Izzet Paragon spellslinger decks, in which Melek can actually copy Mindswipe and deal double the damage as well as giving you a second chance to counter that spell in case the cost was paid initially. While these aren't the only two commanders that have used Mindswipe, these are the two that will take advantage of this counterspell the most.

In Commander, though, having Mindswipe as part of your counter-magic suite, where mana is much more plentiful, can allow you to both stop a crucial spell and deal a fair amount of damage. Mindswipe may not be ever efficient enough for competitive decks, but for what it is, it's a good card.

Hooded Hydra - A Magic the Gathering (MTG) Card Review

3/11/2017

by ElspethFTW, Old School Duelist

Hooded Hydra is a mythic rare from Khans of Tarkir that never saw the competitive play it needed to be the really nice sleeper some players thought it would be. Clever Impersonator was a bigger hit in Commander than the Hydra, but in the right deck, Hooded Hydra is pretty sweet. It seemed like a solid enough pickup at $1.50 with the rotation of Theros block, but it slipped into dollar bin obscurity for those who didn't plan on using him in Commander.

At one time, there was speculation that the Hydra could be pretty good as a big beater in a deck fueled by Whisperwood Elemental and Mastery of the Unseen. Being able to manifest it and flip it for only 2 green mana for a 5/5 seemed like awesome value. It seemed like a good candidate to find a place in the Hardened Scales decks that were a thing in Standard for awhile. Neither scenario emerged, though. By February 2016, Hooded Hydra became a $1 card, an all time low price, around which it stayed for some time, before creeping slowly towards $2.

What makes Hooded Hydra a good buy at $2 or less? We’ve seen how good getting X tokens for X +1/+1 counters can be. Hangarback Walker is a perfect example. While obviously not as splashable as Hangarback Walker, it doesn’t take much of a mana investment for this to be good. Plus, if it enters as a Morph creature, it gets an additional 5 +1/+1 counters when it’s flipped face-up. The Hydra will always at least replace itself.

The good news for Hooded Hydra is that it’s very Commander playable. Since he creates Snake tokens for each +1/+1 counter he has when he dies, he’s become a staple in Kaseto, Orochi Archmage EDH decks. Being a Snake tribal deck, more Snakes are always welcome. Rosheen Meanderer, a Red/Green Commander who loves Hydras in their X casting cost, loves this Hydra too. The Giant’s ability gives 4 colorless mana to pay for any X casting costs. That makes Hooded Hydra at the very least a 4/4. Other commanders that can use Hooded Hydra on a regular basis include Seshiro the Anointed (Snake Tribal), Ulasht, the Hate Seed (Hydra Tribal), and Vorel the Hull Clade (+1/+1 counter mayhem.)

With even foils around $3, Hooded Hydra is a pretty good pickup just based on how playable it is in Commander. While it could be quite a long time before Hooded Hydra ever sees a jump in price, it’s a safe buy if you plan to play him in Commander.

Thousand Winds - A Magic the Gathering Card Review

2/3/2017

by Phoenix Desertsong, Old School Duelist

When Magic the Gathering's Speed vs Cunning Duel Decks were first revealed, it included several preview cards from the upcoming set at the time, Khans of Tarkir. Early on, it was known that Morph would be returning as a mechanic in that set. One of the rare preview cards from the deck was Thousand Winds, the first new Morph card we had seen in quite a while.

Thousand Winds is a 5/6 flyer for costing 4UU (4 generic/2 Blue) to cast. Those are fair stats for a 6 mana creature. It also has a morph cost of 5UU (5 generic/2 Blue). Morph creatures allow you to play them face-down as a 2/2 creature for 3 generic mana. Then, you can pay the creature's Morph cost to flip it face-up. When it is flipped face-up, most Morph cards have an effect. With Thousand Winds, when it is flipped face-up, you return all other tapped creatures to their owners' hands.

At the time, it was clear that this flyer would be an interesting card that would play well in the Arcanis the Omnipotent deck included in the Speed vs Cunning Duel Decks. But, because of the large mana investment, it wouldn't see much play outside of Khans of Tarkir Limited environments such as drafts and sealed deck. It's also an underwhelming creature unless it's able to be flipped face-up. As good as the effect is, it's extremely situational.

However, Thousand Winds does see some play in EDH. Commanders that have utilized the Morph creature include Ixidor, Reality Sculptor and Kadena, Slinking Sorcerer, who are all about the Morph creatures. There's also Animar, Soul of Elements, who can cast it for much less with his effect. Unless you're building a Morph-themed deck, though, Thousand Winds is a flavorful but not very efficient creature.

Temur Charm - A Magic the Gathering (MTG) Card Review

12/1/2016

by ElspethFTW, Old School Duelist

Charms are a pretty cool concept in Magic the Gathering. They are cards that can serve a variety of purposes by giving you one of several options. In Khans of Tarkir, there were five three-color charms, each of which corresponded to one of the five Clans of Tarkir. One of the five that didn't get as much love as others was Temur Charm. It's a cool card, though, with widely varied abilities.

Here are this Charm's three modes:

• Target creature you control gets +1/+1 until end of turn. That creature fights target creature you don't control.
• Counter target spell unless its controller pays 3.
• Creatures with power 3 or less can't block this turn.

The first mode is very good, especially in the colors that this card would be played in. Red/Blue/Green decks tend to play a lot of aggressive creatures. So giving one of your creatures +1/+1 and having it fight a creature you don't control usually is going to be a win for your guy. It fits in perfectly with the Temur Clan's strategy and its Ferocious mechanic. That +1/+1 until end of turn could activate a Ferocious ability that wouldn't otherwise trigger, making one of your creatures with 3 power into a creature with 4 power until the end of the turn.

The second ability is essentially Mana Leak. There was speculation of that popular counter-spell seeing a reprint in Khans of Tarkir. Indeed, it was functionally reprinted on this card. It's an interesting effect to see on a RUG card, but useful nonetheless.

The third ability prevents creatures with power 3 or less from being able to block that turn. Pilots of super-aggressive decks will have to be aware that chump-blocking may not be possible if the opponent has access to this card. While that third mode may not be used all that often, it has to be anticipated now whenever a Temur deck is being played.

This is a very strong Charm that should have seen a good deal of Standard play. It did in fact see a ton of play right after the release of Khans up until the release of Fate Reforged, after which it pretty much disappeared from competitive play. Temur Aggro played anywhere from one to three copies of the Charm. Some Midrange and Control lists also used the card in varying counts as well.

While it saw very little competitive play after March 2015, it still sees play in a few Commander decks. Predominantly, it found a home in Surrak Dragonclaw decks, which makes sense considering that he was the Temur leader from Khans. The synergy seemed pretty obvious in building a deck utilizing all of the best Temur cards from the block. Other Commander decks in those colors like Yasova Dragonclaw (from Fate Reforged), Animar, Soul of Elements, Riku of Two Reflections, and Intet, the Dreamer have dabbled with Temur Charm.

A card that gives the option to serve as removal while also potentially activating Ferocious, act as a permission spell, or open up the floodgates for a lethal attack is quite versatile. While its days as a useful competitive toolbox card are long past, Temur Charm still has a home in the right Commander decks.

Magic the Gathering (MTG) - Brave the Sands - A Useful EDH Toolbox Enchantment

6/14/2016

by R.A. Rowell; Co-Owner of Intent-sive Nature & the Brand Shamans network

Brave the Sands is an Enchantment from Khans of Tarkir that offers your creatures a couple of quite useful abilities. The first ability is Vigilance, meaning your creatures don't tap when they attack. The second ability gives your creatures the option of blocking an additional creature. Together, this makes for a potentially very useful combination that can benefit a number of commander decks.

Making an Ever-Vigilant Dragonlord

The Commander most directly affected by Brave the Sands is Dragonlord Ojutai. Since the mighty blue and white Dragon only has hexproof when untapped, making her vigilant means that your opponent's spells and abilities will never be able to target her. Being a 5/4 also means being able to block an additional creature is also relevant.

On the flipside, Ojutai often brings with her Heliod, God of the Sun and Angelic Field Marshal. Both of these creatures offer your creatures Vigilance, as well. However, the Field Marshal only gives Vigilance when your commander is on the board. Still, the presence of these two seems to make the 2 mana enchantment somewhat redundant. However, Commander is a format in which redundancy is perfectly okay.

The Lands That Never Tap, Except for Mana

Noyan Dar, Roil Shaper is a fascinating commander who can turn all of your lands into creatures. One of his best friends is the Halimar Tidecaller, who gives all your land creatures flying. Brave the Sands helps by giving your land creatures, and anyone else under your control, the freedom not to tap. The greatest downside to turning lands into creatures is limiting how much mana you have left to tap. But what has made Celestial Colonnade so powerful as a creature land is having both flying and Vigilance. Turning so many of your lands info mini colonnades is quite a bit of fun.

Even better, Noyan Dar makes use of the 3 mana enchantment Terra Eternal which makes all lands indestructible. Having your land creatures each able to block an additional creature in combat makes the deck a lot more resilient. Brave the sands fits extremely well into this particular archetype. Lands not having to tap is a big deal, and well worth the initial 2 mana investment.

The Commander Who Became an Enchantment

Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant is from a short line of legendary creatures that actually can turn into legendary enchantments when certain conditions are met. In commander, you begin the game with 40 life. Rune-Tail flips at 30 life. So as soon as you cast him, Rune-Tail becomes an enchantment called Rune-Tail’s Essence that prevents all damage that would be taken by your creatures.

The big combo with Rune-Tail is to play cards like Palisade Giant. This behemoth makes all damage you would take redirect to him. As long as he remains in play, you can't take any damage. The deck revolves around a number of creatures such as Angelic Skirmisher and Guardian of the Gateless that on their own can accomplish much of what brave the sands does on their own.

However, Brave the Sands is only two mana, and Vigilance has a lot of value. Being able to block additional creatures is nothing to scoff at either - although guardian of the gateless can block as many creatures as she wishes to begin with. It's a bit redundant here, but being a defensive style deck, it's a useful piece should you choose to include it.

What About Aggro?

Odric, Master Tactician has plenty of friends that can offer him and his troops Vigilance. But it's extremely hard to pass up a two mana enchantment like brave the sands that can help make opponent counterattacks particularly difficult. Including the enchantment is a tactical decision, and while not heavily favored by Odric players, it's a useful card to consider.

Does Brave the Sands Counteract Menace?

Before we wrap up with considering the long term value of brave the sands, there's a common question we should try to resolve. The way it's worded, people wonder if Brave the Sands allows your creatures to block creatures with menace.

For those unfamiliar with the term, menace simply means a creature that can only be blocked by two or more creatures. Unfortunately, this cannot be counteracted by the additional blocker allowed by Brave the Sands. You'll still need at least two creatures to block a creature with menace.

The upside is that those creatures can then still block additional creatures, even others with menace. For example, two creatures with menace would ordinarily need a total of four separate blockers to stop them. With brave the sands, you really only need two. Therefore, Brave the Sands does help against creatures with menace, even if indirectly just sort of evening things out.

Long Term Value

Being an uncommon from one of the more widely opened sets, there's plenty of copies of Brave the Sands out there. While it has been seen as a sideboard card in some Modern brews of Bogles, it's really a Commander-only playable. Copies will be trickling off of the market one by one rather than two, three, or four copies at a time. The foil would probably be the best place to put your money, as many Commander players prefer to park foil copies of cards that they intend to keep in decks for the long term.

Brave the Sands is definitely a useful enchantment that has a casting cost that belies just how much value it can produce in the right deck. Whether it ends up being a mainstay in some Modern sideboard or just a decent toolbox card in commander, it's one to hold onto.

Master of Pearls from Khans of Tarkir - A Magic the Gathering Card Review

4/10/2015

by ElspethFTW, Old School Duelist

I'm not sure how exactly one becomes a Master of Pearls. But on the surface, it's hard to see what the advantage of becoming one really is. The "Master" is pretty much just a 2/2 bear for 1W that has a Morph cost of 3WW. Yes, when he’s turned face-up, you get a Sanctified Charge effect – creatures you control get +2/+2 until end of turn. This does also make him a 4/4 until end of turn.

While this is a fair effect in Limited., for a 3WW mana investment, you’re better off flashing in Dictate of Heliod for a permanent +2/+2 boost for all of your creatures. So why you would ever play the "Master of Pearls" outside of a Limited environment?

Here's the reason: Mastery of the Unseen., This is a card that has broken out in a big way in combination with Whisperwood Elemental. With the coming of decent Megamorph creatures like Den Protector and Hidden Dragonslayer in Dragons of Tarkir, Master of Pearls seems like a decent creature if flipped with Mastery of the Unseen.

If Master of Pearls is manifested by the Mastery or Whisperwood Elemental, you get a chance to flip it for 1W and gain its effect, instead of having to pay 3WW. Not having to play it first face-down for 3 colorless really improves this creature's effect. Of course, if you end up with Master of Pearls in hand, you're still going to have to pay its full cost.

Even with the possibility of getting lots of value out of Master of Pearls if it gets manifested, the potential drawback of drawing into it may not be worth including it. The potential of creating a Manifested army and swinging for the fences with a +2/+2 boost is pretty cool, though. While Master of Pearls may never be more than a bulk rare, at least there is potential now for it to potentially help a Manifest deck land a crippling blow out of nowhere.

Despise from Khans of Tarkir - A Magic the Gathering Card Review

2/28/2015

by ElspethFTW. Old School Duelist

Despise was consistently played for a long time in Standard when it was first released in New Phyrexia. Naturally, I had assumed that fans of Mono-Black Control and Waste Not Discard decks would rejoice when it was reprinted in Khans of Tarkir. It seemed that being able to be play Thoughtseize alongside it in Standard was going to be loads of fun - at least for those playing it. Despise is quite splash-able, being the one drop Black card that it is. Its effect makes your opponent reveal his or her hand, and you get to discard a creature or planeswalker from their hand.

In a Standard format like the one that the Khans of Tarkir block created, one with a decent amount of very good planeswalkers, it surprised me to only see Despise get some Khans block play, and really very little play in Standard.

The designation of planeswalker is, of course, quite interesting. At the time it was first released, it was quite relevant with Koth of the Hammer, Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas and Venser, the Sojourner running rampant. Now there are plenty more planeswalkers to deal with in Standard, such as two incarnations of Ajani, Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver, Elspeth, Sun's Champion, Kiora, the Crashing Wave, Sorin, Solemn Visitor and many more. Despise can obviously deal with planeswalkers. It's outclassed in Modern by a bevy of other discard spells, but in Standard it seems it should see plenty of play that it hasn't. It seems that Thoughtseize is getting the job done on its own.

Still, dig up all of the old New Phyrexia copies and Friday Night Magic promos. Despise is still back. When Thoughtseize leaves Standard after Theros block rotates from the format, it may once again see play with lots of strong planeswalkers still sticking around.

Magic the Gathering (MTG) - Khans of Tarkir Abzan Siege Intro Pack Deck Review

2/19/2015

by ElspethFTW, Old School Duelist

Abzan is perhaps my favorite clan in Khans of Tarkir, but when it comes to making an Intro Pack for new players to discover this White/Black/Green strategy for themselves, did Wizards succeed? Let's find out.

ABZAN SIEGE DECK LIST

Lands (26)
6 Forest
7 Swamp
8 Plains
1 Scoured Barrens
2 Sandsteppe Citadel
1 Jungle Hollow
1 Blossoming Sands

Creatures (23)
1 Mer-ek Nightblade
1 Carnivorous Moss-beast
1 Ivorytusk Fortress
1 Armament Corps
2 Longshot Squad
2 Disowned Ancestor
3 Ainok Bond-kin
1 Sungrace Pegasus
2 Child Of Night
2 Abzan Falconer
2 Tuskguard Captain
1 Abzan Battle Priest
1 High Sentinels Of Arashin
1 Razorfoot Griffin
2 Salt Road Patrol

Other spells (11)
1 Incremental Growth
1 Flesh To Dust
1 Hunt The Weak
1 Dragonscale Boon
1 Abzan Charm
2 Kill Shot
2 Abzan Banner
1 Eternal Thirst
1 Suspension Field

Improving the Deck:

Obviously, the Carnivorous Moss-Beast is the first thing to go. Mer-ek Nightblade and Longshot Squad are outclassed by what the Abzan Falconer and Tuskguard Captains provide at lower mana costs. Flying and Trample are always more relevant than Deathtouch and Reach. Salt Road Patrols should go for more copies of Abzan Battle Priest. You definitely want more copies of High Sentinels of Arashin, too.

I think Outlast, even though it's a bit of a slow mechanic that can only be activated at sorcery speed, can work okay in Limited. It's much harder for it to work well in Constructed, as if you go to activate one of your Outlast abilities, they'll probably kill your creature before it has a chance to do much damage. Unchecked, though, Outlast creatures that give your creatures with +1/+1 counters extra abilities can win you the game, especially as they have a Prophet of Kruphix-lite to assist them.

You would definitely want to run at least a couple of copies of Abzan Ascendancy in the deck, which puts a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control when it enters the battlefield. Plus, when any of your nontoken creatures die, you get a 1/1 flying Spirit token. If there's anyway to make this deck better, it's that.

As far as improving the deck beyond those basic improvements that I previously mentioned, there are a couple ways to go. You can go with the general Abzan theme of the deck and acquire a couple of copies of Anafenza, the Foremost and Siege Rhino to beef up the deck. Obviously acquiring Abzan Ascendancies and a couple more Abzan Charms help your cause, as well. Beyond that, it's finding the mana fixing, with additional copies of the tap-lands and perhaps a few Windswept Heath for more mana base consistency.

If you want to start from complete scratch, and don't want to invest in the mana base, I think you're best off looking to Theros block's Heroic creatures that gain +1/+1 counters from their Heroic triggers. Cards like Lagonna Band Trailblazer, Hero of Iroas, and Fabled Hero coupled with High Sentinels of Arashin and perhaps a couple of Abzan Falconers, you're looking at a pretty solid mono-white deck. Is it top-tier? No, but that's one way you could go for not a ton of money.

Magic the Gathering - Khans of Tarkir Jeskai Monks Intro Pack Deck Review

2/19/2015

by ElspethFTW, Old School Duelist

The Blue/Red/White Intro Pack for Khans of Tarkir is Jeskai Monks. Is it one of the better of the five Intro Packs for the set? Let's take a look at the list and find out.

JESKAI MONKS DECK LIST

Lands (26)
2 Mystic Monastery
1 Swiftwater Cliffs
1 Tranquil Cove
1 Wind-scarred Crag
8 Island
6 Mountain
7 Plains

Creatures (20)
1 Monastery Swiftspear
2 Jeskai Elder
1 Leaping Master
1 Jeskai Student
2 Seeker Of The Way
2 Jeskai Windscout
2 Bloodfire Expert
1 Bloodfire Mentor
1 Alabaster Kirin
1 Highspire Mantis
1 Whirlwind Adept
1 Tireless Missionaries
1 Serra Angel
1 Sage Of The Inward Eye
1 Warden Of The Eye
1 Riverwheel Aerialists

Other spells (14)
1 Void Snare
1 Oppressive Rays
1 Lightning Strike
2 Jeskai Banner
1 Crippling Chill
1 Divination
1 Solemn Offering
1 Winterflame
1 Jeskai Charm
1 Weave Fate
1 Smite The Monstrous
1 Lava Axe
1 Flying Crane Technique

Improving the Deck:

What this deck is missing is the best offensive creature that Jeskai has: Mantis Rider. Four copies of that is paramount to making this strategy work, a 3/3 with flying, vigilance, and haste is awesome. There are some good creatures here. Monastery Swiftspear is probably the very best card printed with Prowess, and she's become a Standard and Modern staple. You want four copies of her. Seeker of the Way is also solid, gaining Lifelink along with the +1/+1 from his ability, making him at least a 3/3 with Lifelink with only a single Prowess trigger - on a 1W 2/2 that's very good. I'd max out his copies.

Highspire Mantis while a 4-drop that's not the greatest creature in the world is a 3/3 with Flying and Trample. It's okay, and a couple more copies will help the decks cause. Riverwheel Aerialists is too high on the curve to be relevant most of the time in Constructed, Tireless Missionaries is a poor inclusion, and the Jeskai Windscouts are outclassed by Mantis Rider. I'd keep Serra Angel in just because she is a classic card that isn't hurting anyone, at least until you find a more powerful creature to replace her - there aren't many in this set.

Bloodfire Expert, Bloodfire Mentor, and Alabaster Kirin all have their places in Limited, but they're awfully weak for Constructed. They can easily go to make the room that you'll need. Leaping Master does nothing for me and Jeskai Elder would be far better if you just drew a card without the discard attached. Jeskai Student is okay, but you're better off with 4 Monastery Swiftspears than a 1W 1/3, even with Prowess.

The other spells in the deck aren't bad. Obviously you want 4 copies of Lightning Strike, so the 2 Banners (mediocre as they are even in Limited) can go as well as something like Crippling Chill. The Chill is good in Limited but the 3 guaranteed damage is better. I don't like Winterflame much and would prefer more Jeskai Charms instead - it's far superior. Divination and Weave Fate are card draw - the latter being at instant speed, but Jeskai Ascendancy is better at helping you draw while ditching cards you don't need, while also improving upon the Prowess Mechanic. Flying Crane Technique is an awesome bomb I'd leave in just because people may not expect it. Lava Axe is a bit unnecessary if you max out on Jeskai Charms, 4 direct damage for 3 mana is a lot better than 5 for 5 mana.

I'd probably max out the Void Snares for tempo and perhaps acquire a couple of Mindswipes for a permission spell that also burns the opponent. These changes make this more of a traditional UWR deck without losing the aggressive spirit of Jeskai.

If you're really willing to spend on this deck, check out Monastery Mentor and Soulfire Grand Master. The Master makes 1/1 tokens every time you cast a non creature spell and himself has prowess. Soulfire Grand Master gives your instant and sorcery spells lifelink, meaning your burn spells also gain you life. The Grand Master can also help you reuse spells for 4 mana (2 U/R U/R).

Jeskai decks have become quite popular and there have been quite a few winning lists to check out. Namely, there are the more creature based Jeskai Wins and the more token-based Jeskai Tokens. This Intro Pack is a nice way to be introduced to the Jeskai mechanics, even if it's not the best overall value of the five Khans intro packs.

Magic the Gathering - Khans of Tarkir Temur Avalanche Intro Pack Review

2/19/2015

by ElspethFTW, Gaming Successfully Staff

People are saying that the Mardu and Temur Clan Intro Packs are the best. It's hard not to agree with them. The Mardu Raiders deck is easily the best of the five Intro Packs, and this is probably the 2nd best. Let's take a look.

First we have the promo card, Avalanche Tusker. It's 2GUR for a 6/4. Whenever it attacks, target creature defending player controls blocks it this combat if able. Forcing blocks is pretty fun, and with 6 power, it's going to kill a lot. Of course, your opponent can choose additional creatures to block it. But more often than not, you'll go for that 2-for-1 trade.

Onto the rest of the list:

TEMUR AVALANCHE DECK LIST

Lands (25)
2 Frontier Bivouac
1 Rugged Highlands
1 Swiftwater Cliffs
1 Thornwood Falls
8 Forest
5 Island
7 Mountain

Creatures (22)
2 Elvish Mystic
2 Heir Of The Wilds
2 Runeclaw Bear
1 Icefeather Aven
2 Alpine Grizzly
2 Summit Prowler
1 Pine Walker
1 Thundering Giant
1 Avalanche Tusker
1 Bear’s Companion
2 Glacial Stalker
1 Tusked Colossodon
2 Snowhorn Rider
2 Woolly Loxodon

Other spells (13)
1 Stubborn Denial
2 Savage Punch
1 Titanic Growth
1 Force Away
1 Lightning Strike
2 Temur Banner
1 Roar Of Challenge
1 Dragon Grip
1 Temur Charm
1 Windstorm
1 Icy Blast

The creature line-up isn't bad for an Intro Pack. Two copies of Elvish Mystic are definitely a good inclusion, and Heir of the Wilds is a perfectly playable creature. Runeclaw Bear is awfully vanilla, but the 4/2 2G Alpine Grizzly are relevant for their ability to allow you to use the Ferocious abilities of the cards in this deck. Icefeather Aven is a Morph creature with a decent, if a bit underwhelming Unsummon ability. Bear's Companion is a nice card that brings a 4/4 bear along with his own 2/2 body for 5 mana. The rest of the creature line-up is mostly big dumb beaters with power 4 or more and a bunch of Morph creatures that become big dumb beaters with power 4 or more.

The meat of this deck is in the non-creature spells. Stubborn Denial is a playable permission spell that becomes a pure Negate if you control a creature with power 4 or greater (very likely in this build). Savage Punch is a perfectly good card but it would be a lot better at Instant speed - although the Ferocious ability that grants +2/+2 until end of turn to that creature is probably the reason for the downgrade. Titanic Growth is the more powerful but more expensive Giant Growth that no one ever plays outside of Limited. Force Away is an Unsummon that lets you "loot" if you can activate its Ferocious ability - draw a card, then discard a card, for 1U that is playable. Lightning Strike is self-explanatory - 3 damage to a target creature or player for 1R.

Roar of Challenge is interesting, for 2G it forces all of an opponent's creatures to block a target creatures that turn if able. With Ferocious, that creature gains indestructible. It works very well with some of the big bodies in this deck. Dragon Grip is a playable enchantment for 2R that gives a creature +2/+0 and First Strike. You can play it at instant speed if you can activate Ferocious. Windstorm is highly situational, as it only deals with flyers, but this deck does have trouble defending against flying creatures.

Then there's Temur Charm:

This has three extremely good modes: give a target creature you control +1/+1 until end of turn and make it fight a creature you don't control, counter target spell unless its controller pays 3 (Mana Leak), or creatures with power 3 or less can't block this turn. Those are all very solid modes that a deck like this will use, especially the last one, denying your opponent from chump-blocking.

The second rare in this set is also the last card we'll be looking at:

With its Ferocious ability, Icy Blast is actually a really nasty card. On its own it just taps down X creatures for X and a Blue. But with Ferocious, those creatures don't untap for an entire turn. This card is usually going to allow you enough time for you to get two swings in unchecked. It may turn out to be a bit mana-intensive at times, but I may have underrated this card in my initial review of it. At the very least, it's good in this Intro Pack, and it's going to see Commander play, where mana is rarely limited.

While the creature line-up is pretty uninspiring on the surface, I see this having some fun games when pitted against the other Intro Packs from this set. Obviously, the easiest way to improve this deck is to invest in several copies of Savage Knuckleblade.

Not only is he a 4/4 for 3 mana, but Savage Knuckleblade can become a 6/6 until end of turn, evade removal by returning to the hand, or gain haste. It's perhaps the best card to activate Ferocious that there is, besides Surrak Dragonclaw, the Temur Khan himself, who is a 6/6 for 5 (2GUR). You'd also want to ditch the two Temur Banners for two more Temur Charms. You also will really want a couple more Elvish Mystics and some Rattleclaw Mystics for mana fixing.

There are a few ways that Temur decks might end up going. I will definitely say, if you're feeling Temur, then it's hard not to recommend this intro pack, especially as you get the 2 complimentary boosters, as well.

Magic the Gathering - Khans of Tarkir Mardu Raiders Intro Pack Review

2/19/2015

by ElspethFTW, Old School Duelist

Many are calling Mardu the most powerful of the Clans from Tarkir, and the Mardu Intro Pack the best of the five. I would have to agree with both of these notions - and this is the one of the five decks that I would definitely consider a buy, mostly because it has a lot of cards that you would actually play with in Constructed, including Crackling Doom - one of the two rares in the deck. It's hard to say if Ankle Shanker will ever see much Constructed play, but it's quite good.

A 2/2 for 2RWB doesn't look so hot, but it has Haste plus a pretty sweet ability: Whenever Ankle Shanker attacks, creatures you control gain first strike and deathtouch until end of turn. Because of this combination of abilities, your creatures will automatically destroy whatever they touch, unless the defending creatures have first strike (or double strike) themselves. He's a very aggressive card that will make blocking a nightmare for your opponent - they'll lose whatever they block with 9 times out of 10. Solid card.

Now onto the rest of the list:

MARDU RAIDERS DECK LIST:

Lands (25)
1 Bloodfell Caves
2 Nomad Outpost
1 Scoured Barrens
1 Wind-scarred Crag
8 Mountain
5 Plains
7 Swamp

Creatures (21)
1 Firehoof Cavalry
1 Mardu Hateblade
2 Borderland Marauder
1 Valley Dasher
2 War-Name Aspirant
1 Gurmag Swiftwing
2 Mardu Skullhunter
2 Goblin Roughrider
2 Mardu Hordechief
1 Carrion Crow
1 Necrogen Scudder
2 Mardu Warshrieker
1 Timely Hordemate
1 Ankle Shanker
1 Mardu Roughrider

Other spells (14)
1 Crippling Blight
1 Lightning Strike
1 Raise The Alarm
1 Mardu Banner
2 Trumpet Blast
1 Hordeling Outburst
1 Mardu Charm
1 Bring Low
1 Smite The Monstrous
1 Crackling Doom
1 Arrow Storm
1 Flesh To Dust
1 Heat Ray

You have your usual mana fixing, and a strong host of creature spells to cast. Carrion Crow is an obvious cut right away, as is Necrogen Scudder - a 3/3 flyer that makes you lose 3 life upon entering. Beyond that, all of the creatures with the Raid ability on them are all very solid. Two copies of Mardu Warshrieker for mana fixing is also very solid. War-Name Aspirant is better than the Valley Dasher and Firehoof Cavalry, so you'll want to max out on her by removing those two. Mardu Hateblade is a solid enough one-drop that can gain deathtouch for B. You'd definitely replace the Crow and Scudder with two more Skullhunter or Hordechief, depending on whether you want to force discards or make some tokens. Goblin Roughrider is a bit too vanilla, too, and you can replace them with two copies of either of the two just mentioned.

Besides the Banner, a cycle which I automatically cut, the non-creature spells are actually quite solid. Heat Ray doesn't do much for me, and Flesh to Dust is a 3BB kill spell. Arrow Storm is a worse version of Stoke the Flames. Bring Low is over-costed removal as well. But everything else in here is solid enough. Right off the bat I'd cut the Heat Ray, Bring Low and Flesh to Dust for 3 more Lightning Strikes. Smite the Monstrous is a good card, but a bit too specific for me. Crippling Blight is OK removal, but I'd find something better for that spot. I do like the inclusion of Raise the Alarm, but I don't know how you'd make more room for additional copies - Trumpet Blast is a nice combat trick but I suppose those could go for them.

Hordeling Outburst makes 3 1/1 Goblins for 1RR. It's a solid enough card that I like a lot as a one-of here. This deck might be better served having a fourth Raise the Alarm in its place, however.

Also, you want to make room for a couple more Mardu Charms:

It's not the best of the Charms, but it has three useful modes: deals 4 damage to target creature, makes 2 1/1 white Warrior creature tokens with first strike, or make your opponent discard a noncreature, nonland card from his/her hand. It's basically Flame Slash (an older card that dealt 4 damage to a target creature), Raise the Alarm that makes Warriors plus first strike, and Duress (which does the same thing as that third mode).

With those changes mentioned above, you have yourself a fun little aggro deck. You definitely want to improve the mana fixing to avoid color-screw - always a fun thing to happen when you're playing three colors. Mardu doesn't really have that one 3-drop card that the other 4 clans do to instantly improve your creature base, but then again, you have Goblin Rabblemaster already in Standard to fill that void, with Foundry Street Denizen to help support it. This is a great shell for a RWB aggro deck, and as far as Intro Packs go, this is one of the best built ones in awhile.

Magic the Gathering - Khans of Tarkir Sultai Schemers Intro Pack Review

2/19/2015

by ElspethFTW, Old School Duelist

At first, Sultai was among the most disappointing of the Khans of Tarkir clans. However, the clan does have some good cards to show for it, and has proven to be far more competitive than many players thought at first. Many players weren't sure that Delve wasn't a good enough mechanic to build an entire strategy around. Especially after the release of Fate Reforged, Sultai decks (which can actually mean any deck using a combination of black, blue, and green cards) have become extremely competitive.

The question with this particular Intro Pack is how well it will perform with Rakshasa Vizier, the cover card of the deck, as your ace creature. Truthfully, he Vizier can become a huge house, as for every card you exile with Delve, you put that many +1/+1 counters on Rakshasa Vizier. Give the Vizier any sort of evasion and you have a win condition.

So how easy is it to do that in this Intro Pack?

SULTAI SCHEMERS INTRO PACK DECK LIST:

Lands (26)
7 Swamp
8 Forest
6 Island
1 Dismal Backwater
1 Jungle Hollow
2 Opulent Palace
1 Thornwood Falls

Creatures (20)
1 Typhoid Rats
1 Black Cat
1 Walking Corpse
2 Satyr Wayfinder
1 Wall of Mulch
1 Research Assistant
2 Necromancer’s Assistant
1 Gravedigger
1 Rotfeaster Maggot
1 Rakshasa Vizier
1 Sultai Soothsayer
2 Sultai Scavenger
2 Hooting Mandrills
2 Shambling Attendants
1 Necropolis Fiend

Other spells (14)
1 Debilitating Injury
2 Taigam’s Scheming
1 Sultai Banner
1 Rakshasa’s Secret
1 Scout the Borders
1 Sultai Charm
1 Bitter Revelation
1 Murderous Cut
1 Throttle
1 Become Immense
1 Set Adrift
1 Treasure Cruise
1 Dead Drop

Let’s take a look at the other rare in the deck, Necropolis Fiend:

I've never really been a fan of this card. Not that the concept of it wasn’t good, but 9 mana for a 4/5 flyer that then relies on the graveyard for its effect is not really that good. It is playable in Limited, perhaps, and I could be underestimating it as a bomb (hence why it begins at 9 mana as a Delve creature). But in Constructed? Not when you have so many other cards drawing from the graveyard – a very Limited resource. Some people have played it in Sultai Control, but I haven't seen it in too many lists.

The creature line-up overall is pretty bad. The Satyr Wayfinders are fine for putting cards in the graveyard. Necromancer’s Assistant assists in putting more cards in there when it enters the battlefield. Hooting Mandrills is one of the Delve creatures well worth being Delved. 5G for a 4/4 with Trample and Delve – that’s plenty solid. Sultai Soothsayer is basically Satyr Wayfinder, except you can choose any card from among the four. Sultai Scavenger is a 3/3 flyer for 5B and Delve – fine for Limited, a bit weak for Constructed.

For the non-creature spells, Taigam’s Scheming is useful card filtering. Scout the Borders is yet another mill card, but you can choose a creature or land from among five cards instead of four. Bitter Relevation gives you two cards from the four, but you also lose 2 life. Murderous Cut is an extremely playable Delve card – unconditional removal for 4B sounds pricey, but it has Delve on it. Become Immense is a really good combat trick for the late game – 5G for +6/+6 with Delve is actually really good. Treasure Cruise in the late game is very strong – drawing you three cards – even if 7U looks ridiculous. There's a reason it was banned in Modern. The other non-creature spells, outside of the Sultai Charm are meh at best.

All of the Charms in Khans of Tarkir are good. Sultai Charm may not be the best of the five, but it’s really strong with all of its three modes being very relevant: destroy target mono-colored creature, destroy target artifact or enchantment, or draw two cards, then discard a card. You want more of these.

Sadly, this Intro Pack doesn't give you much to build on as far as improvements are concerned. The Vizier is nice, but unless you can make him go unblocked (which this deck has no way of doing as constructed) it’s just a big silly beater. Sure you could give it Aqueous Form, but would you include that just for Vizier?

If you want to play Sultai, it's best to seek out some BUG Walkers or Sultai Control deck lists. Both of these lists tend to run the powerful planeswalkers Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver and Kiora, the Crashing Waves. You'll also want to invest in a playset of Dig Through Time. But there’s really no way to improve this deck without starting from complete scratch outside of the Charms, Murderous Cuts, and Treasure Cruises. Sidisi Whip, which is built around Sidisi, Brood Tyrant and Whip of Erebos, is a very competitive Sultai deck, as well.

Outside of simply using this deck to test out how much you like the Delve mechanic in practice, I'd personally skip buying this Intro Pack. It doesn't really provide much overall value, and if you want the Vizier that bad, you can probably buy it or trade for it on the cheap. As an introduction to the game, it's okay, but I like to see Intro Packs as toolboxes for building better decks. Sultai Schemers doesn't really do that.

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Magic the Gathering - Hordeling Outburst FNM Promo for March 2014

2/3/2015

by ElspethFTW, Old School Duelist

Hordeling Outburst is an excellent choice for a Friday Night promotional card, especially considering the amount of Standard play it has been getting. Decks such as RW Aggro and Jeskai Tokens have been using it in four-of's. Jeskai decks, especially, can take full advantage of the fact that it's a non-creature spell with their Prowess mechanic. Mardu (red/white/black) decks have also been known to use this card, although not to the same extent. Three mana for 3 1/1 Goblins is pretty sweet and perfect for aggressive strategies.

Since this is a card that is often seen been played in four copies in many decks, this should be a highly sought after promotional card come March. It was one of my favorite cards when it was spoiled in Khans of Tarkir, and with all the great aggressive creatures released in Fate Reforged, this card has become much more valuable.

Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker – A Magic the Gathering Card Review

8/31/2014

by Phoenix A. Desertsong, Staff Writer, Healer & Advocate

Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker isn't quite the Sarkhan Vol planeswalker Magic the Gathering players expected. Not only is he not three colors as many predicted, but he’s actually mono-red. So is Sarkhan version 3.0 any good?

Sarkhan Vol was pretty good in his day, and very solid in Commander. Sarkhan the Mad has found a home in some Commander decks, as well. He costs 3RR to cast for a Planeswalker that begins with 4 loyalty counters. For that cost, he better do something special!

Actually, his +1 ability is very good. Until the end of turn, he becomes a legendary 4/4 red Dragon creature with flying, indestructible, and haste. For 5 mana, that’s not bad at all, especially when you’re actually gaining him loyalty. That’s a very solid ability.

The -3 ability is Flame Slash, deal 4 damage to target creature. It is a form of protection. While it’s a bit costly, it will deal with problem creatures that Lightning Strike and many other removal spells currently in Standard cannot. Sometimes, a creature simply has to go.

His ultimate ability for -6 is an emblem, and it’s a very different kind of emblem…

“At the beginning of your draw step, draw two additional cards” and “At the beginning of your end step, discard your hand.”

At first glance, this emblem doesn’t look very good. However, if you’re running a deck that constantly burns through cards in hand, such as a R/G or Jund (R/G/B) mid-range deck, drawing 3 cards each turn that you’ll likely be able to play that turn isn’t so bad. By the time you even get a chance to use that emblem, it’s in the late-game anyway.

Actually, you may never even need to use that emblem, because by the time you cast Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker and swing with him, you should have the game pretty much in hand anyway. But it’s a nice option to have in the late game so you’re not simply top-decking, a fear that a lot of aggro decks have.

Overall, Sarkhan the Dragonspeaker is a pretty solid mid-range Planeswalker. His emblem is rather situational, depending on how bad your draws have been; for example, you can just throw away land you don’t need. Also, if you have fetchlands in your deck, like in Modern, you’ll be going through your deck a bit faster. So, discarding lands is not going to hurt that much.

In Commander, being mono-red gives him a many options of decks he can work in, which is great. He does automatically have the ability to “go ultimate” with Doubling Season on board, as well. However, honestly, you’re not going to be using his ultimate all that much in Commander unless you play a deck where you don’t mind constantly discarding your hand. There are decks like that, but not many. You’re mostly going to play him for his first two abilities which is you play most planeswalkers in the first place. There is a laundry list of Commanders that can find a home for him, especially the more aggressive Red/Green and Red/White ones.