Category: Magic 2014 Core Set - Life... Successfully

Fiendslayer Paladin - A Magic: the Gathering Card Review

3/22/2018

by ElspethFTW, Old School Duelist

Once one of the better rares in all of Magic 2014, Fiendslayer Paladin is a 2/2 Human Knight with first strike and lifelink for only 1WW. He would later be reprinted in the Archenemy: Nicol Bolas product. The Paladin's best feature is that he also cannot be the target of red or black spells your opponents control. In Standard, this made him invulnerable to Doom Blade, Dreadbore, and pretty much any other removal you could throw at him. While it's not protection from black and red, and he can still be blocked by red or black creatures, he's a solid creature.

Being rather tricky to remove outside of combat made Fiendslayer Paladin rather valuable in Standard. He was a great piece for White Weenie decks and his lifelink made him a great ally with the best mythic rare in Magic 2014, Archangel of Thune. He was an easy pick in Limited that also saw Standard play. However, he doesn't stack up to his competition once you get into the Eternal formats such as Modern. Then again, there have been Legacy Death and Taxes lists that have played him, so there is that.

However, like many playable Standard cards, Fiendslayer Paladin has found a few homes in the EDH format. Odric, Lunarch Marshal has been especially kind to him. With the Lunarch Marshal on the board, Fiendslayer Paladin allows all of your creatures to gain first strike and lifelink. Fiendslayer Paladin also is at home in Human Tribal Sigardia, Heron's Grace decks.

Fiendslayer Paladin may never be much more than a $1 rare card when it comes to price, at least in non-foil. However, Fiendslayer Paladin foils have been a consistent $4 for years. While this is a card that's unlikely to be a big investment long-term, he's a solid card to hold onto if you want to stick him in a Death and Taxes deck or in an EDH deck. Fiendslayer Paladin is a card worth holding onto.

Seraph of the Sword - Magic the Gathering (MTG) Card Review

7/1/2017

by ElspethFTW, Gaming Successfully Staff

It is true that many Magic the Gathering players have an affinity for Angel cards - although they do not affect players' casting costs. With Seraph of the Sword from the Magic 2014 Core Set, we have an Angelic version of Fog Bank for 4 mana that conveniently has no Defender on it. Would she prove to be a good card in Constructed, as well?

Seraph of the Sword was an obvious Limited bomb when it was first spoiled. Not only is Seraph of the Sword a 3/3 flyer that’s very splashable, but she can’t be dealt combat damage. This means that she could single-handedly block bombs - except things like Colossal Whale from the same set, which will just "devour" it. Even creatures with deathtouch can't affect Seraph of the Sword in combat, since at least 1 damage must be dealt for deathtouch to activate. It’s an easy first pick, hands-down. But since we're obviously not drafting Magic 2014 anymore, what does she do on her own?

Of course, Angel cards are always popular, and most tend to find a home somewhere. Seraph of the Sword would seem welcome in a wide array of Commander decks. However, she hasn't found many homes. You would think a 4-mana Angel would find a home, considering that there aren't all that many. But besides seeing play in the occasional Avacyn, Angel of Hope or Gisela, Blade of Goldnight Angel Tribal deck, Seraph of the Sword sees inconsistent play in EDH .

Is the Seraph good enough for Constructed play? As far as Core Sets rares go, this is in the middle of the pack. But there are just a lot better creatures that cost four mana in Construct, so it's little surprise that Seraph of the Sword never found a home in Standard. Outside of some casual Angel decks, there are just better options for this deck slot. However, besides the fair amount of EDH player, she does she play in some Budget Cubes as a creature who's solid on offense and defense.

While no one is falling over themselves trying to acquire copies of Seraph of the Sword, her price has been fairly consistent for the past few years. She's never quite hit $1, but has hovered around the $0.75 mark for quite some time. Seraph of the Sword is a card that could be reprinted someday, so if you're looking to pick up a copy, the best investment would be to pick up a $2 foil. Foil prices tend to stay more consistent, and this is a card best suited for a reprint in a preconstructed deck. Really, the Seraph could see more Commander play than she does, and perhaps someday a new Angel Legendary Creature will be printed that will be happy to run her on a regular basis. Until then, she's just a nice card to have in your collection

Magic the Gathering Rare Card Review- Bonescythe Sliver from Magic 2014 Core Set (M14)

5/13/2017

by ElspethFTW, Gaming Successfully Staff

The Slivers in the Magic 2014 Core Set were a fairly impressive bunch. While Slivers never became a Tier One deck in Standard, they were a deck to beat for a time at Friday Night Magic events at local game stores. With Cavern of Souls around for another three months after the release of M14 and Mutavault being reprinted, there was a pretty solid deck.

There was a very important difference between these Slivers and those from the past. Unlike older Sliver cards, which affected all Sliver cards on the battlefield (possibly including even your opponent’s), these new cards affect only your Sliver cards. This means that in Sliver mirrors, if you can get the more powerful effects on the board before your opponent can, you likely have the game won. Having double striking Slivers is certainly one way to do that.

Would Bonescythe Sliver be a part of that Sliver puzzle? It was certainly possible. Having a casting cost of 3W seemed fair, especially with Manaweft Sliver from the same set giving all of your Slivers the ability to produce any color of mana. Double strike is quite relevant, as well. With how quickly Slivers can mass an attack, this could help you stage a finishing blow.

When I first took a look at this card in July of 2013, I thought that people would find a way to stick at least one copy of this card in a Sliver deck. It seemed clear to me that White wasn’t going to be a big color for Slivers, although Sentinel Sliver and Hive Stirrings were definitely playable cards. So there seemed to be room for this card to work out. Double Strike seemed too good to ignore.

Unfortunately, outside of casual Sliver decks and Commander players running the several very good Sliver Legendary Creatures, Bonescythe Sliver never saw much play. Even when the Magic 2015 Slivers made the archetype even better, Bonescythe was basically forgotten. It just didn't seem worth the deck slot for a deck that could win even without the double strike.

That being said, Bonescythe Sliver is far from worthless, still being worth over $1 and having a promo version that's worth more than twice that. It's due to the fact that Slivers are a very popular tribe in Magic. While it proved to not be an optimal play in competitive 60-card Magic, Bonescythe Sliver has become a staple in Sliver Commander decks everywhere. It's also often played as a four-of at the kitchen table, so this card definitely still has some value.

Retro Magic Review: Magic 2014 (M14) Event Deck - Rush of the Wild Review

5/11/2017

by ElspethFTW, Gaming Successfully Staff

At one time, Wizards of the Coast released two Event Decks with the release of each set. Event Decks were great value items for some time and were fantastic for newer players getting into the competitive game! The only trouble was that one of the Event Decks was always strictly worse than the other, at least in terms of value. Then, oftentimes, the more "valuable" event deck would have cards that “rotated” out of Standard just months after the deck's release.

But with the release of the Dragon’s Maze set, Wizards of the Coast decided to only do one Event Deck per set. The Dragon's Maze Event Deck had decent value in it, with three copies of the useful Lingering Souls, two copies of the popular Enchantment Rancor, Commander favorite Parallel Lives and Godless Shrine. Now that there was only one, all the value could go into one deck.

For the Magic 2014 Core Set, the Event Deck was entitled “Rush of the Wild.” Not only did it provide the building blocks for a competitive Red/Green “Gruul” Aggro deck, but it had zero cards that rotated out of Standard in October 2013. This was very useful for newer players who were just getting into Standard at the time. With this deck, if you paid $20 or less for it, you basically made your money right back.

Let’s take a look at the creature line-up.

2 Burning-Tree Emissary
1 Deadbridge Goliath
2 Dryad Militant
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Ghor-Clan Rampager
2 Kalonian Tusker
1 Ogre Battledriver
1 Pyrewild Shaman
2 Rakdos Cackler
1 Rubblebelt Raiders
2 Skarrg Guildmage
3 Slaughterhorn
1 Wild Beastmaster
1 Wrecking Ogre

Right off the bat, we have six rares! Also, back in 2013, Burning-Tree Emissary was a money uncommon. It’s still a good card now. Dryad Militant wasn’t money, but it’s a fantastic and playable uncommon in a wide variety of decks, and still sees play in the Modern format. Elvish Mystic is a functional reprint of Llanowar Elves, and a full playset has always been welcome to see. Ghor-Clan Rampager is another uncommon that sees Modern play, as well, and was a “money” uncommon when this deck release. There’s a full playset of them in here.

Other notable uncommons are Rakdos Cackler, Slaughterhorn, and Kalonian Tusker. Cackler and Slaughterhorn don’t really see play anymore. But Kalonian Tusker does still see play in Mono-Green Devotion decks in Modern.

We haven’t even discussed the rares yet. Frankly, they’re not at all big money cards, but worth a look. Deadbridge Goliath is a 5/5 for 2GG, which is in itself good value. Its Scavenge ability, while expensive, is also quite useful considering that you have some sweet combos with it within this pre-con. Wild Beastmaster is a very nice aggro card, and while she is fragile on her own, she can do a lot of damage if she’s big enough. She was a 3-of in top-tier mono-green decks, and was still considered a “bulk rare.” Plus, she is a great target for Deadbridge Goliath’s Scavenge ability; give the counters to Wild Beastmaster and swing out with a +6/+6 bonus to all of your creatures!

Rubblebelt Raiders is a card that I always liked, but it hasn’t seen play because it’s a 4-drop, and there’s a card called Hellrider that was strictly better than it in Standard. But Raiders is a card that can get scary in a hurry, especially if you have the ability to give it haste with a card like Ogre Battledriver.

Speaking of Ogre Battledriver, while we’re on the subject, he is a card that I've always felt was underrated. However, he himself not having haste really dissuaded aggro deck-builders from wanting to play him. Still, having the ability to give any other creature that hits the board gets +2/+0 and haste until end of turn is pretty significant. Wizards of the Coast seemed to include him in every Event Deck that they could for awhile, but he just never really caught on in Standard.

Meanwhile, Pyrewild Shaman and Wrecking Ogre are okay Bloodrush creatures that are great for casual and Limited play, but not really the best options for competitive play. (Although both creatures are playable in Commander.)

Next we’ll look at the non-creature spells:
1 Armed // Dangerous
1 Clan Defiance
2 Flames of the Firebrand
1 Gruul Charm
1 Mizzium Mortars
3 Shock

Armed and Dangerous is a nice little Fuse card, especially considering that the two halves can target different creatures. You can give your best attacker +1/+1 and double strike and make your opponent’s army block an Elvish Mystic for the LOLz. Mizzium Mortars is a fantastic burn spell, even if it’s sorcery speed, mainly because it does four damage for only one and a Red. Plus, Mortars has a sweet overload ability that can murder an opponent’s board.

Gruul Charm is a nice little utility charm, even if not the best of them. One of its options makes me scratch my head: gain control of all cards you own? Huh? But the other two are nice. Deal 3 damage to all flyers and make no ground forces able to block for a turn. Pretty solid card, honestly.

This is then where I get sad. Flames of the Firebrand and Shock are the best burn removal this deck has to offer. Anyway, Flames of the Firebrand, despite costing 2R, can ping up to three things, which against the right board state, is pretty devastating. Shock is only 2 damage, which doesn’t kill a lot of the things you would need to kill with it. So this is one of the places the deck can very cheaply be upgraded. Fortunately, Theros would bring back Magma Jet and also provided us with Lightning Strike that were easy replacements if you wanted to upgrade this deck right away.

Lastly, I would like to make an honorable mention for a rare that I particularly loved at the time,
Clan Defiance. It didn’t get much love because a sorcery speed burn card doesn’t really fit into an aggro deck. However, it can kill three things! The best part is, you can do just one or two of those things. In the right situation, this card can kill two of your opponent’s best creatures, AND hit them in the face! I’d play one or two of these just to win out of nowhere. It’s a very underrated card, but it's really only ever seen play in Commander, where it's actually super powerful.

Now the mana base:

12 Forest
4 Gruul Guildgate
6 Mountain
1 Rogue’s Passage
1 Stomping Ground

OK, Guildgates are neat, but in aggro they are not exactly what you're looking for. Temple of Abandon from Theros, even though it comes into play tapped, at least gives you the Scry 1. The Stomping Ground is awesome value, though. This was a nice way for players to get this highly sought after land for Modern. Rogue’s Passage is also neat tech to slip one of your double striking big guys in for the kill.

SIDEBOARD
2 Act of Treason
3 Annihilating Fire
2 Enlarge
2 Gruul Charm
2 Naturalize
1 Savage Summoning
3 Skullcrack

The sideboard is solid, if not incredibly inspiring. The Skullcracks are obviously amazing against life-gain effects, and are pretty valuable uncommons nowadays. Annihilating Fire is extra removal. Naturalize is, well, Naturalize. Enlarge is not as good as Overrun, but played on Wild Beastmaster is pretty fun. The extra Gruul Charms may come in handy, as well, and Act of Treason can steal your opponent’s best creature to use against them in an alpha strike.

The most interesting card here is Savage Summoning, a card that received tons of hype upon its release, but has only seen some fringe play since. Still, it has a nice effect that can be useful in control match-ups. Also, flashing in a Wild Beastmaster on their turn is always useful. Flashing in, anybody, really, and it is a nice little trick… But yeah, it’s best against control decks, not really much else.

Overall, if you’re were just looking for a shell for a red/green aggro deck, or you were a newer player, it’s best to just hold onto the stuff. Even at the time, the Stomping Ground made your money back, and all of the other cards were just a bonus. At the time, this was one of the best value Event Decks Wizards has printed since Verdant Catacombs was in the Vampire Onslaught Deck!

This is a playable deck out of the box, but better if you buy a second copy to supplement the existing Dryad Militants, Burning-Tree Emissary, and additional copies of Wild Beastmaster, Ogre Battledriver, and of course, Stomping Ground.

Even now, you can find copies of the Rush of the Wild Event Deck for under $15! It's still worth buying simply for the Stomping Ground and value uncommons. It's one of the best value Event Decks around, without a doubt, and it’s still fun to play at the kitchen table!

Magic the Gathering (MTG) Buylist Watch - Darksteel Forge from Magic 2014 Core Set

9/17/2016

by Richard Rowell, Gaming Successfully Staff

At one time, Darksteel Forge was a fairly valuable card. Even with a reprinting in a Planechase deck a few years back, this Darksteel artifact could command $12 or more. But with the reprinting in Magic 2014, even with being at mythic rare for the first time, you could get one for under $2. It's rebounded nicely since then, approaching $6 at times. Truth is, making all your artifacts indestructible is an extremely useful effect. With Kaladesh being an artifact-themed set, it's not surprising that there's an uptick in demand for the Forge. Buylists have been approaching $4 for the M14 copies lately, and the same for the Darksteel printing. The Planechase printing is following suit, and there are far fewer copies of that available than others.

This card is a definite buy. I would focus on the foils, however, since they have more room for long-term growth. Magic 2014 foils are only $9 as of September 2016, and that's low for a mythic rare as good as this in foil! Darksteel foils are much rarer, and are probably the better investment at $12, although they don't buylist, as well. In any case, this card is definitely a buy, no matter what the version. There's a chance that the Planechase version will eventually spike due to having the lowest supply, but they are all good versions to get.

Magic the Gathering Card Review - Haunted Plate Mail (Magic 2014 & Magic 2015)

9/24/2015

by ElspethFTW, Gaming Successfully Staff

Haunted Plate Mail was pretty cool in Limited when it was first released in the Magic 2014 Core Set. Sure, it wasn’t going to see much play in Constructed, but getting a free creature whenever you didn’t control any was pretty cool. Yeah, it could die to removal, but then again you could always just equip it to your best creature and give it +4/+4.

Quite a few players liked it in that Limited environment. Also, a Blue/White Trading Post deck ran two copies with some success back in 2013. That was an actual thing that happened. In Commander, while hardly one of the best Equipments you can run, there are plenty of players of Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer and Kemba, Kha Regent that have run it out there. It’s a bulk rare, but as they go an Equipment that can also be a creature is never a bad thing.

When the Mail was reprinted in Magic 2015, however, it was much more mediocre in that Limited environment. It was still somewhat playable, but it wasn’t a rare anyone wanted to see. It was fine in Sealed if you didn’t have any good creatures to play… but you’d never actually want to draft it, despite being able to fit into literally any color. Whatever the case, it’s a well-designed card that was just printed in one too many Core Sets.

Magic the Gathering Card Review - Goblin Diplomats from Magic 2014

1/14/2015

by ElspethFTW, Old School Duelist

Goblin Diplomats is a card that I’ve always been a fan of, even if he’s not so solid in Constructed. The ability to force an opponent to attack is actually underrated. It’s certainly very important in Limited.

At one time, I considered that Boros Aggro could play a singleton of the Diplomats to force opponents to run into their Boros Reckoners or first-strike Ash Zealots, but that dream never came true. That being said, he wasn’t a bad card in Magic 2014 Limited (which was a brutal format, in my experience). He just is a bit weak for Constructed play, as he’s not as aggressive as you want a Goblin to be.

However, in Commander, it’s a different story. Causing chaos on the board is some thing red players love doing in Commander. Forcing an opponent to make their creatures attack is pretty mean. It can cause a lot of drama in a multiplayer game. Goblin Tribal decks often can find room for this guy, and he was an auto-include in my Krenko, Mob Boss deck. That is the Commander deck in which the Diplomats see the most play.

He also happened to be the rare Top 8 foil promo for Magic 2014 Game Day… oh, how exciting!

Oh, don’t they look precious!? Actually, this is a promo that fetches a few dollars online, believe it or not. Hive Stirrings was the promo that everyone got. Despite how cool that card looks, neither that or Diplomats wasn’t enough of a reason to come out for a Game Day tournament. To be fair, the best part about that Game Day was the Chandra, Pyromaster Champion play-mat! That being said, Goblin Diplomats a good enough card for Commander that picking up a promo isn’t a terrible idea for the binder or Commander toolbox.

Magic the Gathering Card Review - Awaken the Ancient from Magic 2014 Core Set

1/12/2015

by Richard Rowell, Gaming Successfully Staff

Awaken the Ancient is a very interesting card. Clearly, the possibility of a 7/7 with haste on Turn 5 (technically, it’s a 4-drop, but you need an open land to make it worth playing) is extremely frightening, especially in Limited. But at 1RRR and only being able to enchant a Mountain, it’s only good in Red Deck Wins. In Sealed, it could be ridiculous with the right card pool. In draft, if you see yourself going mono-red, then it was a definite rare draft in the M14 Limited format.

However, perhaps this card, despite being an Aura, was quite playable in Standard at one point. There was a time where the only non-damage based removal in Standard was Doom Blade (in M14 as an uncommon) and Dreadbore, plus Murder and Grisly Spectacle, neither of which were really ever really played in Constructed. Abrupt Decay could work (because the land itself has a CMC of 0) and Smite (which some White decks did sideboard at one time). Still, oftentimes, I saw your opponent often just taking the 7, or having to chump block, or expending some combat trick. As it turned out, though, no one decided Awaken the Ancient was really worth it.

Awaken the Ancient may have been at least a fringe Constructed-playable card when the meta wasn’t heavy on answers for it. I still think there’s value in this card, and as Red usually doesn’t invest highly on the higher-end of the mana curve. If you can get in for 7 for only 4 mana, the potential cost of a losing a Mountain is minimal. Played correctly, it can be a huge blow for an efficient price. Unfortunately, it looks that it will ever only truly find a home in some strange Commander brew. Being the Timmy I am (one who likes to win with big crazy spells like this), I just have always wanted to see this card help someone win out of nowhere. I’m still dreaming. In any case, I still love the concept.

Magic the Gathering Card Review - Zephyr Charge from Magic 2014 Core Set

1/2/2015

by Richard Rowell, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

Zephyr Charge is a common Enchantment from the Magic 2014 Core Set. It’s an interesting little card. It costs 1 and a Blue to cast and it has an ability for 1 and a Blue to give a target creature flying until end of turn. While this card may prove to be a bit mana-intensive for Constructed, it’s a useful Limited card (although a very low pick to be sure), and there are some Commander decks out there that wouldn’t mind giving certain creatures evasion for that low of a cost.

In fact, Zephyr Charge is an interesting card to consider for budget Commander decks that focus on Enchantments, especially if that deck has some creatures that would benefit from being able to fly. While paying 1 and a Blue for each creature you want to fly is a bit of a mana investment, in Commander, that mana will often be available. It’s certainly not going to be seen in the competitive tier of Commander, but in kitchen table Magic or more casual playgroups, it’s a card that’s worth a second look.

Magic the Gathering Card Review - Bogbrew Witch from Magic 2014

12/17/2013

by ElspethFTW, Gaming Successfully Staff

Bogbrew Witch is part of a very interesting combo that Wizards built into the Magic 2014 Core Set. It has to do with a common creature card, Festering Newt (a functional reprint of the old favorite Festering Goblin with a twist), and an uncommon artifact, Bubbling Cauldron. The witch allows you to tutor out these cards directly onto the battlefield for only 2 colorless mana and a tap. Let’s see how this works.

Festering Newt is a slightly better functional reprint of Festering Goblin from the Scars of Mirrodin block. When it dies, a target creature an opponent controls gets -1/-1 until end of turn. Unlike Festering Goblin, one of your own creatures will never get hit as it would under the Goblin’s mandatory ability. It turned out to be useful removal in Magic 2014 drafts.

The Newt has an added ability, too. If the Bogbrew Witch happens to be on your side of the battlefield when the Newt dies, that creature instead gets -4/-4 until end of turn. Suddenly, this little one-drop becomes a much nastier removal spell. Plus, it can be tutored up by the Witch. It’s a solid one-drop for Limited, even without the Witch.

Bubbling Cauldron is where things really get interesting. First of all, it’s a two-drop artifact that can be put right into play with Bogbrew Witch using her ability. So you never have to draw this to play it. It has two inexpensive abilities that allow you to sacrifice a creature.

The Cauldron’s first ability costs 1 and a tap: you sacrifice a creature and gain 4 life. This obviously can come in handy if you’re chump blocking and 4 life is no joke. But the other ability is what makes the Bogbrew Witch & Festering Newt combo all the more interesting.

The second ability allows you to sacrifice a Festering Newt, and each opponent loses 4 life. Not only that, you gain life equal to the life lost that way. So you can at the very least give an opponent’s creature -4/-4, have them lose 4 life, and gain 4 life, all for 1 mana and a Festering Newt. Note that the second ability reads “each opponent.” That you can gain a lot more life in a multiplayer game is somewhat fascinating.

To be fair, Bogbrew Witch made for a good Limited card, even just for the life-gain off of doomed chump-blockers. It’s even better if you run Festering Newt and the Cauldron. All three of these cards are good to watch out for, but it rarely made sense to first-pick the Witch without having both of these other cards already in hand.

Outside of Limited, this three-card combo has seen play in Shirei, Shizo’s Caretaker Commander decks. But honestly, it’s a combo best suited for play at the kitchen table.