Category: Magic The Gathering - Life... Successfully

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

7/25/2019

by R.A. Rowell; Co-Owner ofIntent-sive Nature & theBrand Shamans network

One of the biggest winners from the release of Gargos, Vicious Watcher from Core Set 2020 is Ulvenwald Hydra. Thanks to Gargos’ ability to reduce the casting cost of Hydra creatures by 4 generic mana, Hydra Tribal has become a new force to be reckoned with in EDH. Ulvenwald Hydra is one of a few Hydras that has become extremely cheap to cast.

With Gargos, Vicious Watcher on the battlefield, Ulvenwald Hydra costs but two Green mana to cast. His power and toughness are equal to the number of lands you control, which is great as he scales up as the game goes on. However, the best part about him is his ability when he enters the battlefield: you get to put any land card from your deck onto the battlefield tapped. Plus, he has reach, which protects you from pesky flyers that may otherwise be an issue. That’s a lot of value for only two mana!

Has Ulvenwald Hydra Seen Play in Other EDH Decks?

Previously, Ulvenwald Hydra had still seen some significant play in Commander in “lands matter” decks like Multani, Yavimaya’s Avatar, Molimo, Maro-Sorcerer, Mina and Denn, Wildborn, Nissa, Vastwood Seer, and more. Of course, he also saw play in the previous Hydra Tribal decks led by Polukranos, World Eater. In competitive EDH (cEDH), Ulvenwald Hydra has been an important part of some Lord Windgrace decks.

Did Ulvenwald Hydra Ever See Competitive Standard Play?

Early in his Standard life in 2016, Ulvenwald Hydra often saw play at one or two copies in the main deck of Gruul Ramp. Part of the reason he saw main deck play was that he served to block or trade with the Dragonlords who were big in Standard at the time. However, Ulvenwald Hydra was also important for searching out the colorless lands such as Sanctum of Ugin, Shrine of the Forsaken Gods, and Wastes that were needed to cast various Eldrazi cards in the deck that required pure Colorless mana.

By 2017, Ulvenwald Hydra saw Standard play out of the sideboards of the broken Aetherworks Marvel decks and later Selesnya Ramp. Some sideboards even ran the full four copies of Ulvenwald Hydra. He still served as an important defense against decks with flyers and the mana ramp was still nice.

While certainly not the most exciting mythic rare from Shadows Over Innistrad, he certainly was relevant in competitive Standard play. He’s certainly never going to impact Modern, Legacy, or Vintage, he’s a Hydra that will always find a home. Gargos, Vicious Watcher finally gave him a consistent one.

Triumph of the Hordes - A Magic the Gathering (MTG) Card Review

7/21/2019

by R.A. Rowell; Co-Owner ofIntent-sive Nature & theBrand Shamans network

The New Phyrexia set has a few valuable uncommons. But, Triumph of the Hordes became an $8 card based on the fact that it literally can make a deck triumph. Thanks to the controversial infect mechanic, it’s easily one of the most dangerous pump spells in Magic.

Triumph of the Hordes is a perfect example of an "oops, I win" card. It decimates blocking creatures with -1/-1 counters and tramples over to give opponents the required 10 or more poison counters to take them out of the game. That's not even to mention the +1/+1 boost it gives your creatures.

What's most impressive about Triumph of the Hordes is that its demand is almost entirely based on EDH play. It sees play in a wide variety of decks, most of which are not remotely built around the Infect Mechanic. Titania, Protector of Argoth is the Commander who uses Triumph of the Horde most in the competitive EDH (cEDH) environment. But, many other Commanders can find a way to work it into a “go wide” gameplan.

The top ten Commanders that use Triumph of the Hordes, according to EDHREC, are:

Edric, Spymaster of Trest
Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons
Multani, Maro-Sorcerer
Melira, Sylvok Outcast
Jolrael, Empress of Beasts
Seshiro the Anointed
Baru, Fist of Krosa
Sekki, Seasons’ Guide
Ezuri, Renegade Leader

At just four mana, it's a bit surprising that we haven't seen this card in more go-wide strategies in Modern. Occasionally, someone will slip it in. It's actually quite a mean card. Triumph is actually a miserable way for an opponent to lose a game.

What do you think of Triumph of the Hordes?

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

7/21/2019

by R.A. Rowell; Co-Owner ofIntent-sive Nature & theBrand Shamans network

Lifeblood Hydra from Commander 2014 has always been a good card in EDH. He’s been a staple in Rosheen Meanderer decks for awhile. He also saw play in Polukranos, World Eater Hydra Tribal decks, With the release of Gargos, Vicious Watcher in Core Set 2020, Hydra Tribal is becoming a viable EDH deck. This card is one of the most important in Gargos, which lead to a price spike on TCGPlayer.

While Lifeblood Hydra’s price spiked to $18.99 on 7/18/19, that wasn’t a real price - just what it was being listed for after being bought out all over TCGPlayer. Keep this in mind when you see price spikes and check trusted retailers for their current prices. Those prices are typically going to be far more reasonable, unless those vendors are also buying at an extremely high rate in order to keep that card in stock.

However, Lifeblood Hydra is a good card and $5 for a card that can gain you significant amounts of life and card draw when it dies is not a bad deal. He currently only has two printings, too, one of which is Commander Anthology. Since Gargos has an ability to make Hydras cost fewer 4 generic mana to cast, when Gargos is on the board, you are paying only 3 Green mana to get an X=4 Lifeblood Hydra with four +1/+1 counters.

Getting 4 life and 4 cards when Lifeblood Hydra dies for an investment of only three mana is absolutely nuts. Add to that Lifeblood Hydra has trample and you have a very solid creature. This guy was $2 forever and just needed a permanent home. He found it.

Chandra, Flame’s Fury - A Magic the Gathering (MTG) Card Review

7/17/2019

by R.A. Rowell; Co-Owner ofIntent-sive Nature & theBrand Shamans network

In most cases, a planeswalker-deck exclusive like Chandra, Flame’s Fury would be a fun casual curiosity. The planeswalkers in these Planeswalker decks are greatly powered down mirrors of their counterparts in their respective sets. But, with Magic’s Core Set 2020, Chandra planeswalkers are more important than ever. Thanks to a little rare called Chandra’s Regulator, suddenly every Chandra planeswalker ever printed becomes quite a bit more powerful.

What is Chandra's Regulator?

Chandra’s Regulator is a two-mana Red Artifact that allows you for a single generic mana to copy any loyalty ability of a Chandra planeswalker that you activate. So, even powered-down Planeswalker deck Chandra planeswalkers suddenly become a lot better than they first appear. In the case of Chandra, Flame’s Fury, her abilities become surprisingly a lot more relevant than they would be ordinarily on a comparatively under-powered six-mana planeswalker.

What Does Chandra, Flame's Fury Do?

Chandra, Flame’s Fury is a six-mana planeswalker with a casting cost of 4 colorless and 2 red. She enters the battlefield with four loyalty counters, which isn’t bad, but not great. Her +1 loyalty ability reads: “Chandra, Flame’s Fury deals 2 damage to any target.” A Shock is always a nice ability to have, but extremely underwhelming on a six-mana walker. However, with the Chandra’s Regulator, this is an ability well worth copying for the extra colorless mana.

Flame’s Fury’s −2 loyalty ability reads: “Chandra, Flame’s Fury deals 4 damage to target creature and 2 damage to that creature’s controller.” This is actually a semi-decent ability. If you were to just use this ability twice before losing Chandra, Flame’s Fury, that’s not a terrible return. However, with Chandra’s Regulator, this becomes a very potent ability.

Chandra, Flame’s Fury’s “ultimate” ability is actually a pretty good one. Her −8 loyalty ability reads: “Chandra, Flame’s Fury deals 10 damage to target player and each creature that player controls.” This is actually a nice finisher, even if it’s unlikely that you’ll usually get her up to the eight necessary loyalty counters. Chandra’s Regulator’s ability copying makes this pretty much an “oops, I win” ability.

How Good is Chandra, Flame's Fury?

As planeswalker cards go, Chandra, Flame’s Fury is pretty much the casual-only curosity that you would expect. But, because of Chandra’s Regulator, and the presence of three other new Chandra planeswalkers, “Chandra Planeswalker Tribal” is actually now a thing. Chandra, Flame’s Fury may be a fringe planeswalker, but with Chandra’s Regulator around, she will show up in at least a few Oathbreaker and Commander decks in the future.

Signature Spellbook: Gideon Review

6/12/2019

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

The Jace Signature Spellbook was an interesting concept, but many players and collectors agree that it fell short in terms of power level. But, with the Gideon Signature Spellbook, Wizards of the Coast chose some powerful cards, as well as some other decent cards, all of which make sense to include in Gideon’s spellbook. So, just how good is Signature Spellbook: Gideon?

The Signature Spellbook: Gideon Checklist

Gideon Jura
Martyr’s Bond
Path to Exile
Rest in Peace
Shielded by Faith
True Conviction
Worship
Blackblade Reforged

Just in nonfoil alone, these cards are worth buying the box set. Of course, just like with Signature Spellbook: Jace, one of these cards randomly comes in foil. Obviously, you most want the Path to Exile or Rest in Peace, both competitive staples. However, Martyr’s Bond is a great Commander card and Worship has actually been at the core of a few decent Modern decks. The OG Gideon Jura planeswalker, Shielded by Faith, True Conviction, and Blackblade Reforged all see some play in Commander, as well. In particular, Martyr’s Bond and Shielded by Faith were both Commander deck exclusives, never before printed in foil! So, you can imagine those are sought after cards!

Is It Worth Buying the Signature Spellbook: Gideon Box Set?

Box Set Price: $33.00 - $35.00 (as of June 2019)

Market Prices (as of 6/12/2019) Non-Foil

Path to Exile: $8.50
Rest in Peace: $8.00
Martyr’s Bond: $5.00
Worship: $5.00
Gideon Jura: $1.75
Blackblade Reforged: $1.25
Shielded by Faith: $1.25
True Conviction: $1.25

Total: $32.00

Market Prices (as of 6/12/2019) Foil

Path to Exile: $15.00
Martyr’s Bond: $15.00
Rest in Peace: $15.00
Worship: $10.00
Gideon Jura: $5.00
Shielded by Faith: $4.00
Blackblade Reforged: $3.00

Average Foil Value: $67 / 8 cards = $8.38

Realistically, since one of the 8 cards will always be a foil, you’re basically going to always profit in terms of current value by buying this box-set in the $35 to $40 range. Because they are alternate-art, alternate-border cards, they will always have some demand from collectors.

Do you like the Signature Spellbook: Gideon?

Will Echo of Eons from Modern Horizons Break the Modern Format?

6/1/2019

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

When perusing the spoilers of new sets, savvy Magic the Gathering players are looking for cards that will impact one or more formats. In the case of Modern Horizons, many cards from the set will impact Modern and Commander. But one card stands out as a card that may actually be a lot more powerful than Wizards of the Coast may have intended. That card is the mythic rare Echo of Eons, a reimagined version of the Power Nine card, Timetwister.

Timetwister is banned in every format except Vintage and Commander for a reason. It’s extremely powerful. For only three mana, you and your opponents shuffle your hand and graveyard back into your library and each draw seven new cards. While it’s a symmetrical effect on paper, depending on the state of the game, it may not be. Putting that Timetwister effect into Modern is quite dangerous. Sure, Echo of Eons costs six mana (4UU) to cast, but it also has a flashback cost of only three (2U). That means as soon as Echo of Eons hits your graveyard, you have a functional Timetwister at your disposal.

Of course, because it is six mana to cast normally, it doesn’t appear overpowered. In fact, at six mana, the effect is probably almost fair, since all players benefit. But it’s not hard to toss this card into the graveyard early. There are decks more than happy to toss it in the bin and cast it for its flashback cost as early as turn two - perhaps, even turn one!

The sentiment among the player community is that it’s more likely that Echo of Eons will be more broken in Legacy. Some people are even expecting it to be banned. Then again, as it plays out, it will be interesting to see if it’s as powerful as it appears on paper. After all, Day’s Undoing - another card similar to Timetwister - never took off, but it also ended your turn if you cast it on your turn. Even so, Day’s Undoing has found homes in Modern and Legacy, although not in high level decks. Echo of Eons may prove to be better, but only time will tell.

The one deck that has tried out Echo of Eons with some success is Ad Nauseum Tendrils combo in Legacy. It's typically just one copy in the sideboard as a target for Burning Wish - also the way the deck often gets Tendrils of Agony into its hand. It's not a key component of the deck, but it's certainly a good card to have in a pinch.

Do you think Echo of Eons will break Modern, or more likely Legacy? If so, will it end up banned in one or more formats?

Is the First Sliver the Best Sliver Ever?

5/24/2019

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

The First Sliver is easily one of the most flavorful Slivers ever printed in Magic the Gathering. This mythic rare legendary creature is featured in Modern Horizons, a set designed to introduce powerful new cards into the Modern competitive format, as well as other Eternal formats such as Legacy and Commander. While some players aren’t sure that The First Silver will overtake the stalwart Sliver Overlord as the Commander of choice for Sliver decks in EDH, this is easily the most powerful Sliver ever printed. Not only is The First Sliver a 7/7 for 5 mana with Cascade, but it gives other Sliver creatures you control Cascade, as well.

What is Cascade?

For those unfamiliar with the Cascade mechanic, it was introduced during the Shards of Alara block. Whenever you cast a spell with Cascade, you reveal cards from the top of your deck until you reveal a nonland card that has a lower converted mana cost than the cast spell. So, in the case of The First Sliver, which costs 5 total mana to cast, any spell that you reveal that costs a total of four mana or less is automatically cast.

Cascade is a very popular mechanic that is best known on Bloodbraid Elf. In fact, Cascade was so powerful that at one time, Bloodbraid Elf was banned in Modern. This is no longer the case. Two other powerful Cascade cards in Modern are Demonic Dread and Violent Outburst, both of which cost three mana each. They are both played in the Living End deck in Modern, as Living End has no converted mana cost, meaning that it can either be suspended or cast through Cascade spells. To ensure that those Cascade spells always hit, every other spell in the deck costs 3 mana or more. It’s a pretty powerful deck.

How will Cascade work with Slivers?

As Slivers are meant to multiply quickly, The First Sliver finally creates an opportunity for Slivers to become a much quicker deck archetype. While five-color decks can be tricky to make work in Modern, the payoff of The First Sliver may be worth it. After all, there is Sliver Hive, which helps to fix mana for casting Slivers - which is a card that immediately got bought up when Slivers were revealed in the Modern Horizons set. There have been Sliver decks in Modern in the past, but they were never top-tier competitive decks. This may now change with the existence of a boss monster that gives the deck instant card advantage.

Because The First Sliver also gives other Slivers you control Cascade, every Sliver you then cast will cast yet another spell. While this is powerful, it does force the deck builder to be careful about setting up a mana curve that takes full advantage of Cascade. It’s also important to remember that if you hit another card that has Cascade, because that spell is actually cast (for free), that Cascade trigger will occur.

But, hold on for a moment before you get too, too excited. While The First Sliver will likely hit another Sliver with its Cascade ability, that Sliver doesn’t get Cascade until The First Sliver resolves. This means that The First Sliver doesn’t immediately bring a whole bunch of Slivers with it. However, once The First Sliver and the other Sliver have resolved, each Sliver spell cast afterward WILL set off a chain.

So, let’s say that you cast The First Sliver and it cascades into a Blur Sliver. That Blur Sliver will only gain Cascade after both spells resolve. But then, any Sliver you cast afterward WILL have Cascade. So, say you have a four-mana Sliver like Bonescythe Sliver. If you cast that, you will then hit a three-mana or less spell.

If that spell you hit with Cascade is a three-mana Sliver, such as Blur Sliver, it will now have Cascade and then hit a two-mana spell or less. If you hit a two-mana spell that’s another Sliver, such as Manaweft Sliver, it will then cascade into a one-mana or zero-cost spell. Then, if you hit a one-mana Sliver such as Galerider Sliver, it will then again attempt to cascade into a 0-cost spell. Mox Tantalite, anyone?

Of course, you won’t always hit a perfect chain of four mana into three mana into two mana into one mana, etc. A lot of times you will just have The First Sliver hit a one-mana spell. But that’s OK, because the possibility for a Cascade chain exists, and that’s why The First Sliver allows lines of play that are very powerful.

How Will The First Sliver Improve Existing Competitive Modern Sliver Decks?

Previously, the best competitive Modern Sliver decks utilized Collected Company to give the deck the ability to cast one or two Slivers at once. Of course, Collected Company doesn’t guarantee that you will hit anything, as it only looks at the top six cards of your deck. Collected Company is quite powerful in that you can put up to two creatures with converted mana cost 3 or less into play for only four mana. It’s actually pretty consistent, but it greatly limits how you can construct your deck.

Because Collected Company is suddenly no longer necessary, you have much more freedom in what Slivers you decide to play in your deck. One card that will definitely remain in Slivers is Aether Vial - which you could also hit with Cascade. Aether Vial is actually OK in interrupting the Sliver chain because of what it does. The Vial has the ability to let you put a charge counter on it at the beginning of each of your upkeep steps. Then, at any time, you can tap the Vial to put a creature from your hand into play that has a converted mana cost equal to the number of charge counters on that Aether Vial.

Having multiple Vials in play is OK, because you can choose to not put a charge counter on one Vial, but choose to tick up another. Aether Vial is fine in this deck, even with Cascade. That’s because having Vial in play only speeds up the deck further and ramps up the consistency of the deck.

Will the First Sliver be a Good Sliver Commander in EDH?

The early consensus among Commander players is that The First Sliver is better served as one of the 99 cards in a Sliver Overlord deck. It would seem players seem to consider The First Sliver as the second best option now ahead of Sliver Hivelord, Sliver Queen, and Sliver Legion. As powerful as The First Sliver is, its power is much more concentrated in a 60-card deck where you can play multiple copies of key Slivers. That being said, there are enough Slivers and other Cascade cards, such as Maelstrom Wanderer and Yidris, Maelstrom Wielder, that can make Cascade with Slivers extremely powerful in Commander.

We will definitely return to examining the most powerful build of The First Sliver in EDH as players begin to upload lists online.

Are There New Slivers in Modern Horizons to Complement The First Sliver?

There are a few new Sliver creatures in Modern Horizons. One is a two-mana red and white Sliver called Cloudshredder Sliver. This little guy is actually quite powerful, in that he gives Sliver creatures flying and haste (himself included). Another is Lavabelly Sliver, a three mana red and white Sliver that gives all Slivers you control an enter the battlefield ability: “When this creature enters the battlefield, it deals 1 damage to target player or planeswalker and you gain 1 life.”

Tempered Sliver is a three-mana Green sliver that gives your Slivers “Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, put a +1/+1 counter on it.” I’m not sure this is one that will see a bunch of Modern play, but it will certainly see play in Commander. There’s also the 3-mana Red Hollowhead Sliver, which turns all of your Slivers into Merfolk Looters - tap to discard a card and draw a card. It’s not bad.

One of the most interesting new Slivers is Dregscape Sliver, a two-mana Black Sliver who gives all Slivers Unearth for 2 mana. Unearth gives a creature the ability to return to the battlefield from the graveyard and gain haste. However, that creature is exiled at the next end step and Unearth can only be used as a Sorcery. Still, considering all of the abilities that Slivers can give one another, this is a Sliver that could prove relevant.

Other new slivers include First Sliver’s Chosen, Scuttling Sliver, Enduring Sliver, and Lancer Sliver.

Could Morophon, the Boundless and The First Sliver Be Best Friends?

Also, while he’s not actually a Sliver, Morophon, the Boundless could prove to be important in a five-color Slivers deck. First off, he’s a Changeling, meaning that he counts as a Sliver because he is every creature type at once. Also, when he enters the battlefield, you choose a creature type. Creatures of the chosen type have their mana costs reduced by one of every color of mana (WUBRG). This makes The First Sliver and other 5-color Sliver legends essentially free to cast. If that wasn’t enough, Morophon also makes other creatures of the chosen type gain +1/+1 while he’s on the field.

While Morophon is a whopping 7 colorless mana to cast, he’s pretty much good no matter when he comes down in a game. He’s going to be dramatically cutting the casting costs of your Slivers, or he’ll serve as a Sliver himself, or he’ll be helping you Cascade. He seems like an auto-include in any Sliver deck at this point. He’s also going to be a mighty fun Tribal Commander.

Also, existing Changelings such as Chameleon Colossus and Mirror Entity will likely see play in a deck built around The First Sliver. They see Modern play already and can fit into the Sliver game plan already, so expect to see deck builds that incorporate those two. There’s also the common Imposter of the Sixth Pride, a 2 mana 3/1 vanilla Changeling, who may end up being relevant.

The First Sliver is a creature that breathes new life into a Tribe that was becoming stagnant. It’s a tribe that’s already hung around the outskirts of Modern. Sliver Tribal has always been a fun deck, but now it has the tools to become an actual contender in Modern. Slivers can become a deck that can overwhelm the board in a hurry. There’s a lot to be excited about here and a lot of creative decks will likely come out of the new Slivers introduced in Modern Horizons.

Ashiok, Dream Render - A Magic the Gathering War of the Spark Card Review

4/26/2019

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

Ashiok, Dream Render is an uncommon planeswalker from War of the Spark with two powerful abilities. With how relevant his abilities are to both the Standard environment he enters and other competitive formats, it’s not hard to see why he was a top pre-order before the War of the Spark set release. Not only does he not allow your opponents to search their libraries, but he can also mill four cards while exiling opponent’s graveyards.

Ashiok, Dream Render Stops Opponents From Tutors and Searching Libraries

The first ability on Ashiok, Dream Render is especially important in formats like Modern because opponents can’t even activate their fetch lands! The best part about the ability is that you are unaffected and can search your library freely. Dream Render’s ability is also powerful in EDH where people are constantly searching their libraries with Tutors and similar abilities. Stranglehold is a powerful card in the format for this reason. Previously that ability was only available in Red and now it’s available in Blue & Black decks thanks to this planeswalker. This is an ability also relevant in formats like Legacy and Vintage, although it’s hard to say that Ashiok, Dream Render would see play in those older formats simply based on this ability.

Ashiok, Dream Render Exiles Your Opponents' Graveyards

Ashiok, Dream Render also has a second ability that could prove even more relevant than his Stranglehold-type ability. His minus-1 loyalty ability puts the top four cards of target player’s library into the graveyard, then exiles all cards from opponents’ graveyards. The wording of that is very important, because you can actually mill yourself, then Relic of Progenitus/Tormod’s Crypt just your opponents. Relic of Progenitus and Tormod’s Crypt see a lot of play in Eternal formats because of how powerful exiling the graveyard is against certain decks such as Phoenix, Reanimator, and Dredge decks. Because this Ashiok enters play with 5 loyalty counters, this is an ability that can be used a few times. Interestingly, this Ashiok planeswalker may be good in the very decks he’s good against.

Does Ashiok, Dream Render Work With Any Combo Deck?

While Ashiok, Dream Render doesn't currently combo with anything specific, there has been an interesting interaction found with the Dominaria Saga Fall of the Thran. That six-mana enchantment costs 6 mana to cast and destroys all lands. But, for the next couple of turns, each player puts two land cards from his or her graveyard back onto the battlefield. What makes this card even more powerful with Ashiok is that you can mill your opponent - or yourself - while exiling your opponents' graveyards along with all of their lands.

Basically, because Ashiok allows you to purge your opponents' lands from play, Fall of the Thran becomes one-sided and extremely hard for opponents to come back from. There's a Standard Esper combo control deck that puts this combo into practice called Ashiok Thran Combo. We'll see just how competitive this combo becomes in the format, but it is definitely a great interaction that can shut opponents out of the game.

Where Else Can Ashiok, Dream Render Fit in Modern, Standard, and Beyond?

It’s likely that Ashiok, Dream Render becomes a valuable sideboard card in Modern and perhaps even Legacy. At only three mana and a hybrid mana cost of blue or black mana, he can fit into a variety of archetypes without putting any strain on the mana base. He may come down too late to be viable in Legacy, especially since his graveyard hate ability is at sorcery speed, but he could still be relevant because of his static Stranglehold ability. In any case, he will see play, especially in Standard against Arclight Phoenix decks that he absolutely destroys if there are copies of Phoenix in your opponent’s graveyard. He may even come into play in Izzet Phoenix mirror matches. This is easily of the best uncommon planeswalkers we will likely ever see.

Read more War of the Spark card reviews here!

Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner - A Magic the Gathering War of the Spark Card Review

4/9/2019

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

Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner may only be an uncommon planeswalker card, but she’s one of the better planeswalkers in War of the Spark. At a casting cost of only three mana, one of which is a hybrid blue/green mana, this Kiora planeswalker is one of the easiest to play. She can fit in any deck that plays blue or green mana that wants to play bigger creatures on a regular basis.

Let’s see what this 3-mana Kiora planeswalker does:

Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner {2}{U/G}
Legendary Planeswalker — Kiora
Whenever a creature with power 4 or greater enters the battlefield under your control, draw a card.
[-1]: Untap target permanent.

Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner enters the battlefield with 7 loyalty counters. That’s a high amount for a 3-mana planeswalker, especially one with a single ability. Her first ability is solid enough: you draw a card whenever you have a creature with power 4 or greater enter the battlefield under your control. But, her -1 loyalty ability that untaps a target permanent is quite a powerful ability. Even if all you’re doing is untapping a land every turn, this Kiora can easily pay for herself during her time on the board.

Of course, because Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner is both a potential draw engine and mana accelerator, she’s also a target for your opponent’s burn spells and combat damage. Even if she does become a target, that’s just fine, because she’s saving you damage. What’s even more interesting is that in a set with multiple cards with Proliferate, there’s a good chance that even as you tick down Kiora, you can tick her right back up! Because Kiora has some staying power, she is very likely a metagame relevant card.

In Green decks, Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner can come down on turn two with something like Llanowar Elves in play. Then, she can immediately untap the Llanowar Elf or another land. People have talked about slamming down a Carnage Tyrant or a Hydroid Krasis for four on turn three. These are just a couple of the cool things Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner can do.

In EDH, Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner will find plenty of homes. Because her color identity is both blue and green, she won’t be able to go into Commander decks without both colors. However, that is far from a problem. Simic (Blue/Green) is already a potent color combination in the format, as are other Blue/Green/X decks. She also works in five-color decks. This Kiora planeswalker should become a staple in several decks in the EDH format.

This is one powerful uncommon and Magic players responded to her power level by making her a top 3 best seller on TCGPlayer during pre-orders. What do you think of Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner? Do you think her flexible mana cost, high loyalty count, draw engine, and powerful loyalty ability will make her playable beyond Standard in Eternal formats like Modern and Legacy?

Read more War of the Spark card reviews here!

Lazotep Plating - A Magic the Gathering War of the Spark Card Review

4/9/2019

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

Lazotep Plating is one of my favorite cards from War of the Spark due to the fact that this instant is even more powerful than it appears from the surface. At first glance, you may think that this card only belongs in a Zombie deck that takes advantage of the Amass mechanic. But, in fact, this card can be played in many different decks.

Read what this two-mana Blue instant does:

Lazotep Plating {1}{U}
Instant
Amass 1. (Put a +1/+1 counter on an Army you control. If you don’t control one, create a 0/0 black Zombie Army creature token first.)
You and permanents you control gain hexproof until end of turn. (You and they can’t be the targets of spells or abilities your opponents control.)

First off, Lazotep Plating is great at either Amassing an existing Army or creating a new one. But, in decks that don’t care about Amassing an Army, that’s not a problem! Right off, this card makes at least a 0/0 token with a +1/+1 counter on it. In a Standard format that has Proliferate running around, this token will very easily be a 2/2 or 3/3 before anyone knows it. Right away, you’re either throwing a valuable +1/+1 counter on an existing Army token, or creating a new one. Already, this card is often replacing itself.

The second half of this card is really why you play it in the first place. This card gives both you and permanents you control hexproof until end of turn. That means if your opponent targets you with a spell or ability, that effect is essentially negated - without technically countering it. If you also happen to get a 0/0 token out of this card, then you have effectively two-for-one’d your opponent. That’s always a good thing.

Against burn, Lazotep Plating can shut out an opponent for an entire turn, and that’s not nothing. Obviously, this card is good in a deck built to take advantage of +1/+1 counters and Army tokens. But, it doesn’t have to be in an Amass deck to be an above-average spell. So, if you were wondering why this card was a top 5 best seller during War of the Spark pre-orders, you now know why.

Read more War of the Spark card reviews here!

Magic the Gathering Challenger Decks 2019 - Arcane Tempo Deck Review

4/7/2019

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

After the enormous success of the 2018 Challenger Decks, Magic the Gathering came with another round of Challenger Decks for 2019. These decks replaced the often maligned Event Decks. With Challenger decks, you can make a few minor tweaks and actually take them to a Friday Night Magic Standard event and have a decent chance of competing.

Today, we will look at the Red/Blue Challenger Deck, Arcane Tempo. Ahead of the 2019 Challenger Decks release, Arcane Tempo was the most valuable of the four decks due to the presence of one copy of the multi-format All-Star Arclight Phoenix. The deck also contains two of the powerful Legendary Creature, Niv-Mizzet, Parun.

Here is the Arcane Tempo Deck List:

Creature (13)
4 Goblin Electromancer
4 Crackling Drake
2 Murmuring Mystic
1 Arclight Phoenix
2 Niv-Mizzet, Parun

Sorcery (9)
4 Chart a Course
4 Lava Coil
1 Beacon Bolt

Instant (15)
4 Opt
4 Radical Idea
4 Shock
2 Dive Down
1 Blink of an Eye

Enchantment (1)
1 The Mirari Conjecture

Land (22)
3 Sulfur Falls
4 Izzet Guildgate
8 Island
7 Mountain

Sideboard (15)
1 The Mirari Conjecture
1 Beacon Bolt
3 Negate
3 Entrancing Melody
3 Fiery Cannonade
2 Shivan Fire
2 Disdainful Stroke

This Arcane Tempo deck was inspired by the Izzet Drakes deck piloted by Pascal Vieren at Pro Tour Guilds of Ravnica. Of course, the winning deck played four Arclight Phoenix, but they aren’t really that hard to acquire, as purchasing four copies of this deck would not only net you the playset of Phoenix, but additional playsets of many useful cards.

How Do You Play the Arcane Tempo Challenger Deck?

The Arcane Tempo deck does what its name suggests - it allows you to stay ahead on the tempo of the game. Goblin Electromancer makes your instants and sorceries cost less, allowing you to play them more quickly. Chart a Course and Lava Coil become far more powerful at a single mana and your other two-drop and three-drop spells become far more powerful, as well.

Crackling Drake is one of the best creatures in the deck. Not only does he draw you a card when he enters, but for each instant or sorcery card in your graveyard and in exile, he becomes more powerful. Plus, Crackling Drake obviously flies. With four toughness, he’s very difficult to block or remove and can win you games on his own.

Murmuring Mystic is a fairly unassuming four-mana creature with one power, but with five toughness. Five toughness makes it extremely difficult to kill him with burn spells and what he does is powerful. Each time you cast an instant or sorcery spell, you get to put a 1/1 flying illusion creature token into play. These tokens can get out of control very quickly and play a role on both offense and defense. Plus the Mystic can block effectively on the ground, too.

Arclight Phoenix is by far the most powerful card in the deck. Not only is it one of the best creatures in Standard, but in Modern, too. It’s even seen play in Legacy! This 4-mana 3/2 with flying and haste is a nice enough creature. But the true power of the Phoenix lies in its resurrection ability. If the Phoenix is in your graveyard and you cast three or more instant or sorcery spells in a turn, you can bring the Phoenix back to the battlefield at the beginning of combat on your turn. Of course, this means you must consistently get the Phoenix into your graveyard - which is a bit tricky to do with this deck the way it’s currently constructed. As a one-of, though, it’s powerful enough in this shell.

The last creature is Niv-Mizzet, Parun. This six-mana Legendary Creature has quite the mana cost requirement (3 Blue, 3 Red) but he is powerful. First off, Niv-Mizzet, Parun can’t be countered. He’s also a 5/5 flyer with two other abilities. Whenever you draw a card, he deals one damage to any target. Then, whenever a player casts an instant or sorcery spell, you draw a card. This is powerful because this ability counts your opponent’s spells, too.

The noncreature spells are pretty straightforward. Two copies of Dive Down help protect one of your key creatures by giving them hexproof and an additional +0/+3. Four copies of Opt let you Scry 1 (look at the top card and put it on the top or bottom of the deck) and draw a card at instant speed. Four copies of Shock give you two easy burn damage at a single mana. Blink of an Eye lets you bounce a problem nonland permanent to its owner’s hand, while also giving you the optional Kicker ability to draw a card.

Chart a Course is a Standard draw staple that draws you two cards. But you have to discard a card unless you’ve attacked with a creature that turn. Discarding cards in this deck isn’t really a huge issue in this deck, however, as instant and sorcery spells in your graveyard are fuel for your Crackling Drakes. It also gives you a way to pitch your Arclight Phoenix into the yard.

Lava Coil is a burn spell that deals 4 damage to a target creature. If that creature would die, you exile it rather than put it in the graveyard. This is the key way to deal with creatures like Crackling Drake and even Arclight Phoenix. It’s a Standard staple because it deals with most problem creatures around.

Radical Idea and Beacon Bolt are interesting cards in that they have Jump-Start. Radical Idea is an instant that draws a card for two mana (1 Colorless, 1 Blue) and Beacon Bolt deals damage to a target creature equal to the number of instant and sorcery cards in your graveyard. With Jump-Start, you can discard a card and pay the cards mana cost to cast them again, but then you have to exile the Jump-Started card. Exiling these isn’t a problem for Crackling Drake, because the Drake still counts them in his power total. Plus, with Goblin Electromancer on the board, Radical Idea costs a single Blue mana, and Beacon Bolt costs only a Red and a Blue.

The final nonland card is The Mirari Conjecture, a Saga Enchantment from Dominaria. This card has seen some success in Standard. It costs 5 mana, but it does something good for three straight turns. When it first enters the battlefield, you add an instant card from your graveyard to your hand. On the second turn, you get a sorcery card instead. On the third turn, you sacrifice the Saga and until end of turn, you get to choose additional targets for each instant or sorcery spell you cast.

The sideboard gives you additional tools to combat certain matchups. Another copy The Mirari Conjecture is useful in slower control matchups. Another copy of Beacon Bolt, plus three copies of Fiery Cannonade and two copies of Shivan Fire help you deal with heavier creature matchups. Entrancing Melody is strong in stealing your opponent’s best creatures. Then, Disdainful Stroke and Negate give you additional weapons against control.

Is Arcane Tempo Close a Pro Tour Competitive Standard Deck?

As was explained by Donald Smith in the Challenger Decks 2019 reveal on the Magic flagship site, the more controlling build with Murmuring Mystic and Niv-Mizzet, Parun was chosen on purpose. Murmuring Mystic is a solid card, and having two copies of him and Niv-Mizzet actually works just fine. In fact, the only other difference with the Challenger deck and the Izzet Drakes deck is the four copies of Tormenting Voice in the Pro Tour deck.

All it would take to turn this deck into the Pro Tour contending deck is this:

- 1 Murmuring Mystic
- 2 Niv-Mizzet, Parun
- 1 Goblin Electromancer
- 1 Crackling Drake
- 2 Blink of an Eye
- 3 Izzet Guildgate
- 2 Island
- 1 Mountain

+ 3 Arclight Phoenix
+ 4 Tormenting Voice
+ 4 Steam Vents

Interestingly enough, Pascal’s sideboard includes 2 Niv-Mizzet and the extra Mystic and Drake. Arclight Phoenix is easily acquired by purchasing multiple copies of Arcane Tempo and Tormenting Voice is an easily acquired common from a variety of sets. The only “difficult” card to acquire is Steam Vents - which you want to have anyway. Wizards did extremely well in making this deck easy to upgrade.

Of course, you can also go the less expensive route of working in Pteramander, Enigma Drake, and Spell Pierce, much as the Challenger Deck reveal article suggested. Pteramander is also a powerful card in Modern that you will want to have in your collection. The Enigma Drake route does work, as we’ve seen in this 1st place Star City Games Invitational Izzet Drakes deck by Andrew Jessup. Pteramander is a key card in Mono-Blue Tempo and the Modern version of Izzet Phoenix. So, you don’t even have to acquire all four Phoenix to make this deck work out well for you competitively.

How Valuable is the Arcane Tempo Challenge Deck?

What makes Arcane Tempo so valuable is that most of these cards see play in other decks and in Modern. Arclight Phoenix (of course), Crackling Drake, Goblin Electromancer, Opt, and Sulfur Falls all see Modern play. Chart a Course and Lava Coil are Standard staples - with Chart a Course popping up in Modern occasionally. As of the first week in April 2019, the cards in the deck had a retail value of nearly $100! Arclight Phoenix led the way at $25.

For reference, here’s the financial breakdown:

1x Arclight Phoenix = $25
3x Sulfur Falls = $24
3x Entrancing Melody = $10.50
2x Niv-Mizzet, Parun = $8.50
4x Chart a Course = $9
4x Lava Coil = $7.40
4x Crackling Drake = $3.50

The beauty of this deck is that if you bought multiple copies to get the full playset of Arclight Phoenix, you end up with a lot of trade fodder. Of course, as these decks get opened, these prices will crash considerably. Still, pieces like Arclight Phoenix and Sulfur Falls - which always see play in other formats - will recover.

At $30 a deck, $120 is a steal for a playset of Phoenix, three playsets of Sulfur Falls, and lots of other good cards. Of course, vendors are pricing the Arcane Tempo deck higher than the other three because of this deck being “worth” so much more than the other three. By July 2019, it was hard to find the deck below $35 - with some retailers kicking up the price to $45 or more.

However, because so many of these decks entered the wild, many of these cards saw substantial hits to their values. Here at the values of those same cards come mid-July 2019.

1x Arclight Phoenix = $20
3x Sulfur Falls = $9
3x Entrancing Melody = $1
2x Niv-Mizzet, Parun = $2
4x Chart a Course = $1
4x Lava Coil = $1.50
4x Crackling Drake = $1

That's quite the fall in prices. The funny thing is that even with those greatly depressed prices - especially with the October 2019 Standard rotation of a few of these cards looming - the deck is STILL worth $35! It's probably break-even at the $40 price point, but this is still a great value.

In any case, the Arcane Tempo Challenger Deck is a playable Standard deck that could be improved very easily and quickly. The Wizards design team did a great job putting it together. What do you think of the Challenger decks?

Read more Magic the Gathering card reviews here.

Bolas’s Citadel - A Magic the Gathering War of the Spark Card Review

4/7/2019

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

Bolas’s Citadel is a fascinating Legendary Artifact from War of the Spark. This card is sort of a strange cross between the powerful Instant spell Ad Nauseam and a popular enchantment called Future Sight. But, Bolas’s Citadel is more powerful than those two cards combined.

Let’s take a look at what this six-mana Enchantment does:

Bolas's Citadel {3}{B}{B}{B}
Legendary Artifact
You may look at the top card of your library any time.
You may play the top card of your library. If you cast a spell this way, pay life equal to its converted mana cost rather than pay its mana cost.
{T}, Sacrifice ten nonland permanents: Each opponent loses 10 life.

Is Bolas’s Citadel a better Future Sight and Ad Nauseum Combined?

Future Sight is an enchantment that has you reveal the top card of your library at all times. The advantage is that you can play the top card of your library. But with Bolas’s Citadel, you can look at the top card of your library at any time, but don’t have to reveal it. This means less information you give your opponent. Also, with the Citadel, you can play the top card of your library, but it comes at a price.

With Bolas’s Citadel, if you decide to play the top card of your deck, if its a spell, you pay life equal to that card’s converted mana cost instead of paying its normal casting cost. This is similar to the powerful Modern spell Ad Nauseum. That card allows you to reveal the top card of your library and add it to your hand as many times as you want. But, each card that you add to your hand comes at the cost of that card’s converted mana cost. (Lands cost zero converted mana, so they can be added to your hand for free).

However, there are ways to make Ad Nauseum work well as a powerful draw spell. For example in Legacy Ad Nauseam Tendrils, the deck plays eight zero cost spells and twenty-four one-drop spells. So, when you cast your one copy of Ad Nauseum, the chances of it actually draining you of enough life to be a problem are fairly low.

Modern Ad Nauseum operates a bit differently, using an enchantment called Phyrexian Unlife to actually allow you to go below 0 life in exchange for dealing infect (poison) damage to you instead. This only buys you 10 damage, but sometimes it’s all you need to draw into the card that you need to win - in most cases Lightning Storm.

How is Bolas’s Citadel different from Ad Nauseum?

Whereas Ad Nauseum adds cards to your hand, Bolas’s Citadel allows you to instead cast them. Plus, you get to see what the next card is, so you can choose not to cast it if you don’t want. Also, if you haven’t played a land card in a turn, you can choose to play that land without any penalty, essentially drawing you an extra card.

Plus, Bolas’s Citadel has a third ability. This tap ability allows you to sacrifice ten nonland permanents and have each opponent lose 10 life. While ten permanents is a lot - and it can actually include itself in the sacrifice - 10 life is a very substantial number. While this isn’t the main reason to play this card, it’s a nice weapon to have sitting there on the battlefield.

Will Bolas’s Citadel See Competitive Standard Play?

At six mana, Bolas’s Citadel is likely only going to be a single copy in a competitive deck, perhaps two copies at the most in a mono-Black deck.. Of course, Ad Nauseam is a five mana spell, so it’s not a huge stretch for this card to see play. The trick is playing a deck that can keep the game going long enough to cast the Citadel.

Fortunately, the Standard environment the Citadel of Bolas came into supported such a deck ready to play it. That deck is Esper Tempo, which proved itself as a formidable deck through Core Set 2020 Standard. Not every build of the deck plays Bolas's Citadel, but those builds that play Oath of Kaya and Elite Guardmage - both of which gain you life when they enter the battlefield - help take advantage of the Citadel's draw engine.

Bolas’s Citadel and Aetherflux Reservoir in Modern

The most obvious card that could make a Bolas’s Citadel deck work is Aetherflux Reservoir. People have been trying to make an Aetherflux Reservoir deck work in Modern for awhile with a card like Madcap Experiment to dig for the key artifact. Interestingly enough, Bolas’s Citadel may fit into that sort of deck. Because Aetherflux Reservoir decks can gain a substantial amount of life, a single Bolas’s Citadel could help speed the deck up significantly. This sort of deck, while it sounds good on paper, hasn't yet broken through into competitive play.

Bolas’s Citadel in Legacy or Vintage?

We have seen Ad Nauseum perform very well in Legacy, so what about Bolas’s Citadel? The key difference with the Citadel is that it allows you to cast cards, not put them into your hand. The sheer draw power of Ad Nauseum is key to the Legacy Tendrils deck digging into its key piece. While in theory having Bolas’s Citadel in play would be great - since you could play your Lotus Petals and Lion’s Eye Diamonds for free anyway - a six-mana enchantment is a lot to ask for in that format.

However, Bolas's Citadel HAS seen play in Vintage! You'll see the occasional Paradoxical Outcome deck run a copy of the Citadel. It's also a nice card engine for Tendrils of Agony Storm in Vintage. Bolas's Citadel can definitely see play in powerful decks if there's enough mana to power it out.

Bolas’s Citadel in EDH / Commander

The most obvious home for Bolas’s Citadel is in EDH. Six-mana Enchantments are much more at home in a format that takes awhile for board states to develop. Since you begin with 40 life in Commander, the ability to play many spells off of Bolas’s Citadel as soon as it hits the board is substantial. It’s very possible to play even a card that requires triple-Black in its casting cost earlier than turn six. Cabal Coffers and Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth, for example, make that cost easier to meet early on in a game. Also, black decks that also play green mana ramp should have little trouble casting Bolas’s Citadel on turn five or even turn four.

The number of decks that can play Bolas’s Citadel is quite high. Plus, that tap ability to sacrifice 10 nonland permanents could be abused over and over in decks that create a lot of tokens. Ten damage may not be enough to close out a game, but it’s much more relevant in multiplayer as it hits all opponents. It’s going to be a very popular card in the format and any deck that loves sacrificing creatures will have a ball with it.

The top Commanders early in this card's life included VIlis, Broker of Blood, Yawgmoth, Thran Physician, Kethis, the Hidden Hand, Massacre Girl, and God-Eternal Bontu. Of these Commanders, only Yawgmoth is particularly popular. Then again, the others likely will have many more decks built over time. The Citadel of Bolas also hasn't worked itself into as many decks as it could be in yet, either.

While Bolas’s Citadel may not see much competitive 60-card Magic the Gathering play, it will most definitely be a powerful card in EDH. Players were rightly excited about the power level of this card. What do you think of Bolas's Citadel?

Read more War of the Spark card reviews here.

Mobilized District - A Magic the Gathering War of the Spark Card Review

4/5/2019

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

As Magic the Gathering manlands go, Mobilized District from War of the Spark is certainly one of the more versatile. This nonbasic land can become a 3/3 Citizen creature with vigilance until end of turn. That on its own isn't bad, even if the Citizen is not also a colorless land during that time. But that is only half of what Mobilized District can do. That creature activation costs one less for each legendary creature or planeswalker you control.

In practice, this land will be playable in a wide variety of decks. But, it will take a dedicated planeswalker control deck or a deck that plays an unusually high number of legendary creatures to make it reliably cost fewer than three mana to activate. Still, because the Citizen has vigilance, it can be used on both offense or defense consistently.

Not being able to remain a land while it's a creature isn't a terrible drawback. It reverts back to a land on the next turn anyway, so if you need to keep mana open for your opponent's turn, it's not a problem. Having vigilance is enough to make up for the drawback.

Mobilized District is certainly a Standard playable land. But where this Citizen land should really shine is in Commander. There are decks that reward you for playing a lot of legendary creatures. It's too bad that Magic players did not have access to a land like this during the legendary creature overload of Kamigawa block…

While Mobilized District is no Mutavault, it’s a very playable land. Plenty of Standard decks will find a way to play it just for the cheap or even free creature every turn. It seems like it will become a staple in a number of Commander decks, too. What do you think of Mobilized District?

Read more War of the Spark card reviews here.

Dreadhorde Invasion - A Magic the Gathering War of the Spark Card Review

4/4/2019

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

Dreadhorde Invasion is a fun little enchantment from War of the Spark that screams Zombie Army! As fun as this card looks, widely-acclaimed Magic the Gathering deck builder SaffronOlive called this card an early frontrunner for most overrated card in #MTGWAR. His words:

“Dreadhorde Invasion is my early frontrunner for most overrated card in #MTGWAR. I'm expecting it to be somewhere between unplayable and good for very specific decks (like Amass tribal or Aristocrats).”

Some Magic players have called Dreadhorde Invasion a vastly inferior version of Bitterblossom. It would seem that this Enchantment needs a very specific shell built around it. We’ve seen Aristocrats decks work out well in Standard before - decks that sacrifice creatures for value. Amass is also a very interesting mechanic. So, is this card more of a tease than an actually competitive card?

Early pre-orders for Dreadhorde Invasion were pretty crazy, as it was selling for around $7 and for as much as $9 a copy. So, the hype is real surrounding this card, especially with the excitement of a Zombie Tribal deck coming back to Standard. Also, because it’s a 2-mana enchantment, it’s possible to play multiple copies of this card in a deck with added benefit.

Dreadhorde Invasion starts out simply enough. At the beginning of your upkeep, you lose 1 life and amass 1. Amass says to add a +1/+1 counter to an Army that you control. If you don’t control an Army, you create a 0/0 Zombie Army token first. The good news about this is that if your Army token is destroyed, you get to make another one.

The other half of this card is that if you attack with a Zombie token with power 6 or greater, it gains lifelink until end of turn. With Proliferate running around the set, it’s likely that you can build an Army token fairly quickly. Also, what’s cool about this ability is the token only has to be a Zombie, not an Army. So, were you to have a non-Army Zombie token with greater than 6 power, it would also get lifelink. That lifelink is basically how you gain back the life that this enchantment drains from you.

Of course, having multiple copies of Dreadhorde Invasion allows you to amass more quickly, but also costs you a substantial amount of life. Also, because Dreadhorde Invasion only ever replaces one token, you can’t just keep creating armies. You could be pouring a ton of life into tokens that get killed before they can do much damage. A Zombie Army seems incredibly slow. But, let’s see just how much support “Amass Tribal” has in War of the Spark.

Dreadhorde Invasion and Amass Tribal

As of this writing, the War of the Spark spoilers are still in progress. But there are a couple of interesting cards to mention. One is Lazotep Plating, with costs 2 mana and allows you to Amass 1. But the more interesting aspect of this card is that you and permanents you control gain hexproof until end of turn. You can play this in response to a removal spell being used or a burn spell being used. It’s a neat little pseudo-counter spell

In Black, Lazotep Reaver is a two-drop Zombie that has Amass 1 when he enters the battlefield. But as a ½ otherwise vanilla creature, he’s not really someone you’d count on outside of Limited. There’s a four-drop that can Amass 2 when he dies, but he suffers from being an otherwise vanilla 3/2 Zombie. They are good creatures for Limited, though.

Red has a few Amass cards as well. One is a one-drop called Grim Initiate, who allows you to Amass 1 when he dies. This 1/1 Zombie also has first strike, so he has some playability. Honor the God-Pharaoh is a three mana spell that forces you to discard a card, but has Amass 1 and draws you two cards. There’s also the 6 mana Invading Manticore that has Amass 2 when he enters the battlefield, but that’s pretty much a Limited only creature.

There’s a couple of interesting multi-colored cards with Amass. One is a Blue/Black Zombie called Geaming Overseer. This 3-mana creature can Amass 1 when he enters the battlefield, but he also gives Zombie tokens hexproof and menace. He’s quite playable. Another interesting card with Amass is a Sorcery called Invade the City. It costs only three mana and it has Amass X where X is the number of instant and sorcery cards in your graveyard. It does put you in three colors if you want to play Dreadhorde Invasion, but it’s an interesting card. The best sorcery with Amass so far, though, is Widespread Brutality. It costs 1BRR and has Amass 2. Then, the Amassed Army deals damage to each non-Army creature equal to its power.

Also, there is the uncommon Angrath planeswalker, Angrath, Captain of Chaos, which has a -2 loyalty ability to Amass 2. He also gives your creatures menace, meaning they must be blocked by more than one creature. Since he has a hybrid mana cost of either red or black, he’s actually fairly playable.

As more Amass cards are spoiled, we will definitely return to examining the viability of Amass Tribal.

Dreadhorde Invasion and Arcane Adaptation

Some people have mentioned Arcane Adaptation as a way to make all of your creatures into Armies. While this is a decent idea, all that would do is allow you to put a +1/+1 counter on one of your creatures without getting a token. You could decide to make Zombie the creature type named on Arcane Adaptation, though. But, then you would need tokens that large, and that would be very difficult. So, while it’s a cute idea, it’s not really going to work out that well, especially since Amass is a Zombie-centric mechanic anyway..

Dreadhorde Invasion, Divine Visitation, and Mentor Creatures

There is a decent token generator from Guilds of Ravnica called Divine Visitation that create a 4/4 Angel tokens with flying and vigilance whenever you would otherwise create a token. But, because they aren’t Army tokens, you can’t boost them. However, that means that you would create an Angel instead of an Army token.

The reason this is relevant is that because you aren’t creating an Army token, you will actually instead create an Angel every turn. In theory, this is a great combo. Then, with each Dreadhorde Invasion you play, because there isn’t an Army token in play, each trigger will create another Army that will instead become an Angel token. You won’t get the +1/+1 counter, but you get the Angel instead which is definitely worth the trade.

Is that good enough of a combo to build an entire deck around, though? Boros Visitation is a deck and Legion’s Landing is very powerful with Divine Visitation already. Legion Warboss and other cards with the Mentor ability could also make the Army tokens you do create more powerful more quickly. You also have the Angrath planeswalker, who fits just fine in the deck. Could a Mardu Dreadhorde Visitation deck then work? It’s certainly possible. But, it seems clunky. The payoff may be worth it, though.

Dreadhorde Visitation in Mardu Aristocrats

With a pretty good Aristocrats enabler in Cruel Celebrant, a creature with a decent “when it dies” trigger in Dreadhorde Butcher, and a planeswalker friendly to the strategy in Liliana, Dreadhorde General, Dreadhorde Visitation could find a home in a new Mardu Aristocrats deck. Dreadhorde Butcher himself is pretty decent in that he’s a 2-mana 1/1 with haste that gets a +1/+1 counter each time he deals combat damage to a player or planeswalker. Then, when he dies deals damage to any target equal to his power. With Karn’s Bastion around to proliferate for a mere 4 mana, this deck seems like it could be fairly decent with Amass around. This is likely a deck we will revisit in the future.

Now that we’ve found that there are potential homes for Dreadhorde Invasion, it now comes down to whether any of these decks perform well in Standard. My personal favorite is the Divine Visitation deck - janky as it is - because of the sheer power that the Amass mechanic has with that token replacement effect of Visitation. But Mardu Aristocrats could be a decent deck, too.

Do you think Dreadhorde Invasion is overrated, or do you think it will be a key card for decks in Standard, or even beyond?

Read more War of the Spark card reviews here.

Bulwark Giant - A Magic the Gathering War of the Spark Card Review

4/4/2019

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

Gideon Jura says: “Where did she come from? More importantly, are there more like her?”

Bulwark Giant is a six-mana common creature from War of the Spark. Gideon Jura’s interest in her aside, this 3/6 Giant Soldier is a pretty solid common creature to top out the mana curve on a Limited deck. Not only does she play defense and offense fairly well, but she also gains you 5 life when she enters the battlefield. That’s a good chunk of life in the late game, so definitely expect to see her in Limited.

Some Magic the Gathering players have mentioned that she may see play in High Alert-themed decks. High Alert is an uncommon Enchantment from Ravnica Allegiance that makes it so that your creatures deal combat damage according to their toughness rather than their power. It seems like she would be a fun top-end creature in that sort of deck, especially because of the lifegain attached to her.

While Bulwark Giant may not be much of a factor in competitive Standard, she is a decent common creature. If you’re trying to build Giant Soldier tribal, she’s probably a good card to consider, as well. She’s definitely a good addition to White’s common card pool in War of the Spark.

Read more War of the Spark card reviews here.

War Screecher - A Magic the Gathering War of the Spark Card Review

4/4/2019

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

War Screecher is a decent Limited-playable Bird creature from War of the Spark. It’s a 1 / 3 flyer for two mana (1 Colorless, 1 White), which already makes it playable in draft or sealed deck. The War Screecher also has a tap ability for 6 mana (5 Colorless, 1 White) that gives other creatures you control +1/+1 until end of turn. While that ability is a bit pricey, in Limited, it’s likely an ability you will use in order to break a board stall or finish off the game.

While hardly an exciting creature, War Screecher evasive, blocks well, and provides upside late in the game. You can’t ask for much more from a 2-mana white common flyer. This should be an easy pick in War of the Spark drafts. Creatures like these aren’t meant to be playable in Standard. Still, you may find this guy in casual Bird Tribal decks, as that tap ability can end games with enough of a flying army.

Read more War of the Spark card reviews here!

Tolsimir, Friend to Wolves - A Magic the Gathering War of the Spark Card Review

4/4/2019

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

Tolsimir Wolfblood returns in War of the Spark as Tolsimir, Friend to Wolves. Is this Tolsimir better or worse than the original? The original Tolsimir Wolfblood acted as a sort of lord for your green and white creatures and had a tap ability create a legendary 2/2 Wolf token named Voja. Tolsimir, Friend to Wolves provides instant on-field value.

We actually saw Tolsimir Wolfblood again quite recently when he was reprinted in the Guilds of Ravnica Guild Kits at pre-release. For five mana (2 colorless, 2 Green, 1 White), Tolsimir Wolfblood is a 3/3 Legendary Elf Scout that brings a 3/3 Legendary Wolf token called Voja, Friend to Elves when he enters the battlefield. Then, whenever a Wolf enters the battlefield, you gain 3 life and can have that Wolf fight a creature your opponent controls. So, for five mana, you get 6 power across two bodies, 3 life, and potentially a removal spell. Even if your token simply trades with another creature, you’re already ahead.

Tolsimir Wolfblood was a 6 mana 3 / 4 Legendary Elf Warrior that gave other green and white creatures you control +1/+1. He could also create a Legendary Wolf token, but it was only a 2/2. The great thing is that if these two were in the same deck, the two Voja tokens wouldn’t clash, so you could have both in play at the same time.

Tolsimir, Friend to Wolves and Arlinn, Voice of the Pack

There’s an obvious synergy between the new Tolsimir and the new uncommon planeswalker Arlinn, Voice of the Pack. The uncommon Arlinn planeswalker costs 6 mana (4 colorless, 2 Green) to cast and comes into play with 7 loyalty counters. That’s important because her -2 creates a 2/2 Wolf token. So, it’s very conceivable that she can create up to three Wolf tokens. Better yet, Voice of the Pack has a static ability to give any Wolf or Werewolf that enters your side of the battlefield with an addition +1/+1 counter on it. This means that her Wolf tokens are realistically 3/3 tokens and she can be well protected by them.

Being that Tolsimir, Friend to Wolves is five mana and Arlinn, Voice of the Pack is six mana, these two cards can be played on curve. Also, being that green has pretty of mana ramp, these two can come down much earlier than turn five and turn six, respectively. But, as of this writing, there aren’t too many Wolves in Standard. So, Wolf Tribal, at this time, isn’t really workable in Standard. You could build a pretty fun Wolves deck in Modern, though.

Tolsimir, Friend to Wolves in Standard

While Wolf Tribal isn’t really a deck in Standard right now, Tolsimir, Friend to Wolves is generically powerful enough to see play. He wouldn’t need too much support to become a “build-around-me” card. While he’s not as splash-able as former Standable staple Thragtusk was, it seems to me that he could fill a similar role in Standard. He offers similar card advantage (perhaps even better if your Wolf wins a fight) and gives you added tempo with the 3 life. If Wolves become more of a theme in future Standard sets, then Tolsimir, Friend to Wolves will become a very relevant card.

Tolsimir, Friend to Wolves in EDH / Commander

As a Commander, Tolsimir, Friend to Wolves will have many fans. It may not be the most competitive deck, but it can create enough Wolf tokens - and now gain enough life - to be formidable. This Tolsimir should also find his way into some builds of Trostani, Selesyna’s Voice and Rhys the Redeemed decks. He’ll also likely see play alongside his previous incarnation, Tolsimir Wolfblood, since the two complement one another. Because the Wolfblood can continue to tap to create additional tokens, Tolsimir, Friend to Wolves’ ability becomes even more important.

If you’re a fan of Wolves and Werewolves, Tolsimir, Friend to Wolves is a card for you. But, he was also designed to be Standard-playable, as well. How would you play Tolsimir, Friend to Wolves?

Read more War of the Spark card reviews here.

Vraska, Swarm's Eminence - A Magic the Gathering War of the Spark Card Review

4/3/2019

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

Vraska, Swarm’s Eminence is an uncommon green and black planeswalker card from War of the Spark. This four-mana planeswalker has a hybrid mana cost, meaning you can pay either green or black mana to cast her. This Vraska planeswalker shares Standard with another four-mana Vraska card from Ravnica Allegiance: Vraska, Golgari Queen. So, where does this Vraska fit in?

Vraska, Swarm’s Eminence Deathtouch Tribal

Like all of the uncommon War of the Spark planeswalkers, Vraska, Swarm’s Eminence has two abilities, one static ability and one loyalty ability. Her static ability is rather interesting: “Whenever a creature you control with deathtouch deals damage to a player or planeswalker, put a +1/+1 counter on that creature.” There’s only a few good creatures with deathtouch currently in Standard. But, there are some possibilities.

Death Baron, for example, gives other Skeletons and Zombies you control deathtouch. So, Vraska, Swarm’s Eminence could work in a Zombie tribal deck. Dire Fleet Poisoner can give Pirates you control Deathtouch. Other playable creatures with deathtouch include Dire Fleet Ravager, Isareth the Awakener, Pestilent Spirit, and Tetzimoc, Primal Death. There’s also the split instant card Status / Statue which would be fairly playable in a deck with Vraska, Swarm’s Eminence.

Vraska, Swarm’s Eminence Makes Planeswalker Assassin Tokens!

The particularly fun aspect of Vraska, Swam’s Eminence is the tokens that she creates. For minus-two loyalty, she creates a 1/1 black Assassin creature token with deathtouch. Those tokens also have the ability that whenever they deal damage to a planeswalker, destroy that planeswalker. Those tokens have perfect synergy with Swarm’s Eminence’s other ability, so they can get bigger quickly.

Vraska, Swarm’s Eminence in EDH / Commander

Already, many Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons Snake Tribal Commander players are excited about adding Vraska, Swarm’s Eminence to their decks. Damia, Sage of Stone Deathtouch Tribal EDH decks can make use of Vraska, Swarm’s Eminence, too. While this Vraska planeswalker does need to fill a particular niche in EDH, she will find more than a few homes in Commander decks.

Vraska, Swarm’s Eminence in Standard

At the very least, Vraska, Swarm’s Eminence is Standard-playable as a sideboard card against planeswalker-heavy strategies. Because of her hybrid mana cost, she can be played in decks that feature either green or black mana, and not just both. Red/black (Rakdos) and Blue/black (Dimir) decks can play her, as well as Red/Green (Gruul) and White/Green (Selesnya) decks. She’s a bit too niche for Modern and other Eternal competitive formats.

Being only an uncommon, Magic the Gathering players are happy to add a playset of this Vraska planeswalker to their collections. While Vraska, Swarm’s Eminence may not be a super important card outside of a Planeswalker-heavy Standard metagame, she is a well-designed and flavorful planeswalker just like all those we have seen in War of the Spark.

How will you play Vraska, Swarm’s Eminence?

Read more War of the Spark card reviews here.

Liliana, Dreadhorde General - A Magic the Gathering War of the Spark Card Review

4/3/2019

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

When some Magic the Gathering players first saw Liliana, Dreadhorde General, they saw a 6-mana planeswalker that may not have much of an impact in Standard. However, this Liliana planeswalker card should not be overlooked. Not only does she have three loyalty abilities, but a static ability, as well. Six-mana planeswalkers have made an impact in Standard - and even Modern - before such as Elspeth, Sun’s Champion and Vraska, Relic Seeker. So, let’s see how this Liliana planeswalker from War of the Spark is stronger than she appears on the surface.

Liliana, Dreadhorde General Draws Cards

The first ability on Liliana, Dreadhorde General is a static ability which draws you a card whenever a creature dies. This ability is extremely important. Whether that creature is a token or nontoken does not matter. So, the incremental advantage of this Liliana planeswalker is fairly obvious right away.

Liliana, Dreadhorde General Makes Zombie Tokens

Liliana’s first loyalty ability is a plus-one to create a 2/2 Zombie creature token. That means she immediately can bring a creature into play to protect herself. As Liliana, Dreadhorde General gives you 6 loyalty counters to start, ticking right up to 7 is pretty good. Plus, the tokens created by this ability make her second loyalty ability even better.

Liliana, Dreadhorde General Forces Two Sacrifices

Liliana’s second loyalty ability is minus-4 loyalty to force each player to sacrifice two creatures. This is the same as the Barter in Blood card ability, which was a four-mana sorcery that saw play back in its day. While this ordinarily would be a symmetrical effect, because Liliana draws you a card for each of your creatures that dies, you will get to draw two cards (unless you only have one or no creatures to sacrifice). Drawing two cards is always good for you. Forcing your opponent to lose their own creatures is even better.

Liliana, Dreadhorde General Makes a One-Sided Cataclysm

Years ago in Exodus, there was a boardwipe called Cataclysm. This card was very powerful in control decks. All players would choose an artifact, an enchantment, a creature, and a land he or she controlled and sacrifice all the rest. Because this card was printed before the planeswalker card type was created, players would also have to sacrifice any planeswalkers.

But, Liliana, Dreadhorde General’s “ultimate” minus-9 loyalty ability does not affect you at all. It forces all opponents to choose one of each permanent they control (including planeswalkers) and sacrifice all the rest. This is an extremely crippling ability, especially considering that you do not have to lose anything - except potentially Liliana herself being sacrificed after spending 9 loyalty counters.

Because Liliana, Dreadhorde General begins with 6 loyalty counters, this ultimate ability is not impossible to pull off in a typical game. While she doesn’t win the game all by herself, this Liliana planeswalker can essentially give you such an absurd amount of card advantage with her ultimate loyalty ability that it would be extremely hard not to win.

Liliana, Dreadhorde General in EDH / Commander

Being a six-mana planeswalker in EDH does not matter when it comes to playability. In fact, many Commander decks will take advantage of Liliana, Dreadhorde General simply for her ability to draw cards. Sacrifice themes are huge in EDH, especially in mono-black and black/green, decks that are happy to make a home for Liliana, Dreadhorde General. It all comes down to how individual deck builders decide to fit her in that will determine just how popular she becomes in the EDH format.

Liliana, Dreadhorde General in Standard

Control decks should find a home for Liliana, Dreadhorde General at least as a one-of. While she’s not quite that great against decks that go wide with their creatures, she is very good against decks that don’t play many creatures. Liliana coming down late is fine if you are forcing your opponent to sacrifice their best creatures. Dreadhorde General’s ultimate is so strong that it makes sense for her to be a six-mana planeswalker. Bringing your opponent down to a single land pretty much spells the end for a game. So, there will be Standard decks that can use Liliana, Dreadhorde General.

Liliana, Dreadhorde General is probably too slow of a planeswalker for Modern and other Eternal formats outside of Commander. But, she is a very strong mid-to-late game planeswalker that continues the tradition of playable Liliana planeswalkers. Where do you think Liliana, Dreadhorde General will see play?

Read more War of the Spark card reviews here!

Teferi, Time Raveler - A Magic the Gathering War of the Spark Card Review

4/2/2019

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

Many Magic the Gathering players are probably thinking, wait, do we really need another Teferi planeswalker in Standard after the dominance of Teferi, Hero of Dominaria? The answer is a resounding yes: Teferi, Time Raveler is a solid rare three-mana planeswalker who will not only help decks in the fight against control decks, but even be a complement to the dominant five-mana Teferi planeswalker.

Teferi, Time Raveler Stops Control Decks in Their Tracks!

The first obvious thing about Teferi, Time Raveler is his static abilities: Each opponent can only cast spells whenever they could cast a sorcery. This turns off counter-magic as well as any cards that may have flash. (It’s also actually a neat counter against Emergence Zone, the nonbasic land that gives spells you control flash until end of turn.) Ironically, his first loyalty ability is +1 loyalty to give your own sorcery spells flash until your next turn. Isn’t that nice?

Teferi, Time Raveler Turns Back Time?

Not only does Teferi, Time Raveler have the ability to speed up your own sorcery spells and slow down your opponent’s instants, but he has a bounce ability at all. While it costs 3 loyalty counters (and Time Raveler only starts with 4 loyalty), this ability can hit an artifact, creature, or enchantment, returning it to its owner’s hand. You also draw a card. The neat thing about this ability is not only can it be used on an opponent’s card, but your own cards, as well. In most cases, you’re probably targeting your opponent’s card, but having the option is great.

Where Does Teferi, Time Raveler Fit in Standard?

Some players have suggested that Teferi, Time Raveler and Teferi, Hero of Dominaria could exist in the same deck. That’s because Teferi, Time Raveler is only a three-drop. It’s most likely that he will be a sideboard card to bring in against control mirrors. However, there are some cards in Standard Esper Control that would be nice to play at instant speed, such as Cry of the Carnarium and Thought Erasure. The minus three ability is also good because of the sheer tempo it allows you to gain.

Does Teferi, Time Raveler Fit in Modern?

Since Teferi, Hero of Dominaria sees play in Modern, is it possible that the three-mana Time Raveler will find his way into Modern, too? It’s possible Teferi, Time Raveler could fit into Azorius Control purely as a sideboard option against other Azorius and Jeskai control decks. The only sorceries he would be able to flash in with Azorius Control are Timely Reinforcements and Terminus. An instant speed Terminus is great - although you can already do that as a Miracle. I can see it being tried out, though. Also, his minus three can let you get back your Detention Sphere - especially if you used it to eliminate opposing tokens, while also drawing a card. He’s certainly playable in the format, but we will see if people actually play him or not.

Teferi, Time Raveler in Legacy?

It’s tough for a lot of Modern cards to break into Legacy, but Teferi, Time Raveler’s ability to shut off your opponent’s instants is pretty relevant in the format. After all, who doesn’t want to shut down Force of Will? He’s also only three mana. The deck I can see using him the most is Azorius Stoneblade. After all, Council’s Judgment seems pretty mean to cast at instant speed.. Miracles could also make use of his abilities, as well.

Teferi, Time Raveler in EDH / Commander

Teferi, Time Raveler is actually plenty good in EDH for a couple of reasons. First off, his minus ability can bounce Commanders, which isn’t too shabby. Also, shutting off flash against certain decks is a powerful move. In Commander, being able to have your sorceries at instant speed is even more relevant than in 60-card formats, especially in multiplayer. Turning all of your boardwipes into instants is always good in Commander. Pretty much every control deck that plays white and blue will consider him.

While Teferi, Time Raveler isn’t nearly as powerful as Teferi, Hero of Dominaria, he doesn’t need to be. As a rare planeswalker, he is plenty powerful. Without a doubt he will be played in Standard and EDH, and possibly in Modern and even Legacy!

Read more War of the Spark card reviews here!

The Wanderer - A Magic the Gathering War of the Spark Card Review

4/2/2019

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

As much as I, and many others, would like The Wanderer to be Elspeth Tirel returned, I’m not so sure that she is. In any case, whoever The Wanderer truly is doesn’t matter in contemplating the very solid planeswalker card that she is. Her static ability is excellent: preventing all noncombat damage that would be dealt to you and other permanents you control. Her minus ability, which costs only 2 loyalty counters - exiles a target creature with power 4 or greater. So, The Wanderer is a four mana planeswalker at uncommon that can easily exile two big creatures and prevent burn damage to both yourself and your creatures and other planeswalkers. That’s extremely good.

But, Isn’t The Wanderer Elspeth Returned From the Dead? PLEASE!?

While I truly doubt that The Wanderer is Elspeth, being that she is my favorite all-time planeswalker, it would be cool to find that out. Still, I’m happy with The Wanderer being secretive for now. It is true that the loyalty ability is similar as that of Elspeth, Sun’s Champion - who destroys all creatures with power 4 or greater. If that’s a hint, that’s cool. But, I’m more interested in how The Wanderer will see play.

Is The Wanderer Going to be a Standard Sideboard Staple?

At the very least, The Wanderer will prove to be a thorn in the side for Burn players. As Red Deck Wins seems an omnipresent force in Standard (and Modern for that matter), The Wanderer does fill a nice niche. I feel like four mana may be too much for Modern. Still, buying potentially a turn or two against Burn is nothing to sneeze at. The added bonus of exiling a bigger creature shouldn’t be ignored, either.

The Wanderer in EDH / Commander

One place that the White planeswalker quickly found a home was in EDH. The deck that adopted her the most in the early going was Tolsimir, Friend to Wolves. While the synergy isn't immediately obvious, The Wanderer's static ability is actually extremely important, because the "fight" mechanic is considered noncombat damage. That means when Tolsimir's second ability activates, your creature takes no damage in the fight... totally fair, right? Also, the loyalty ability does deal with creatures power 4 or more, which is great for a commander that creates a 3/3 token. These two are turning into really great friends.

While many players are a bit unhappy about planeswalkers being printed now at uncommon for War of the Spark, I think that the Wizards of the Coast design team did fine with these. The Wanderer is a fine example of a card that does a couple of very useful things while also being a planeswalker. This is a good little planeswalker who should find plenty of homes throughout Magic.

Read more War of the Spark card reviews here!

Jace, Wielder of Mysteries - A Magic the Gathering War of the Spark Card Review

4/2/2019

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

Jace, Wielder of Mysteries is the first Jace Planeswalker at rare since the OG Jace Beleren. While he only has two loyalty abilities, his static ability is that of Laboratory Maniac. Yes, Jace, Wielder of Mysteries makes self-mill a deck in Standard. Let's delve into this very straightforward but powerful Jace Planeswalker from War of the Spark.

The Wielder of Mysteries is the Laboratory Maniac Jace Planeswalker

For those who are unfamiliar with Laboratory Maniac, he is a creature from Innistrad that allows you to win the game if there are no cards left in your library. The reason that this is so funny is because typically the strategy of a mill deck is to force your opponent to deck out. In most cases, decking out is a way to lose the game. But with Laboratory Maniac of this new Jace in play, you actually win the game instead.

Furthering his own goal are both of his loyalty abilities. His plus one ability is basically Thought Scour, which mills a player for two cards and draws you a card. His ultimate ability costs eight loyalty and draws seven cards. If you don't have seven cards left, you instead win the game. The ability has the added wording of winning the game since it's likely you will have to sacrifice Jace in order to use the ability. That would mean his ability would no longer be in play, so the extra wording guarantees you will still win the game anyway.

Also, Jace, Wielder of Memories is only a four mana Planeswalker that comes into play with four loyalty counters. That three of the four mana needed to cast him have to be blue does make him a bit tricky to cast on turn four. So, a deck that revolves around Jace, Wielder of Memories may need to be mono blue, at least in Standard, to be able to cast the key Planeswalker consistently.

A Persistent Petitioners Self-Mill Deck is Now Possible on Standard and Beyond

An already popular casual mill deck includes an interesting card called Persistent Petitioners from Ravnica Allegiance. This common on its own isn't incredibly powerful, but you can play as many copies as you want in a deck. He's a 1 / 3 Advisor for two mana (1U) with the ability to pay 1 colorless Mana and a tap to mill the top card of target player's library. The second ability is the more powerful. You can tap four untapped Advisors to mill 12 cards of target player's library. This is where the true power of this card comes into play.

Jace, Wielder of Memories makes a strategy revolving around the Petitioners a lot more viable. Players have already built Persistent Petitioners mill decks before, including a Commander version with Grand Arbiter Augustin IV as the Commander. Now, since, Jace Wielder of Memories and Persistent Petitioners share the same Standard format, the deck is now possible to build somewhat effectively in Standard.

Jace, Wielder of Memories in EDH / Commander

Pretty much any EDH deck that played Laboratory Maniac before or any sort of mill strategy will want to play Jace, Wielder of Memories. He's also just sort of generically good for his Thought Scour and draw 7 cards abilities. Jace, Memory Adept may still be the better Planeswalker for typical Mill decks, but you could easily play both. They just can't be in play at the same time.

Jace, Wielder of Memories in Modern Mill Decks

Like in EDH, Jace, Memory Adept is the premier mill card in Modern Mill decks. It's sort of a fringe deck strategy in the format, but Jace, Wielder of Memories certainly is a potential new include in some builds. Being that Wielder of Memories has a somewhat prohibitive triple blue cost doesn't matter quite as much in Modern even in a blue/black deck. It's possible he may be a one of in some builds, even mill decks that aren't meant to be self-mill, as an alternate win condition in games that go long.

Cards that serve as win conditions in and of themselves tend to be very good in Magic the Gathering. While not all “oops, I win” cards are particularly consistent, Jace, Wielder of Memories is good enough to be a useful cog in a control deck and the focal point of his own deck strategy. This Jace Planeswalker should be a lot of fun to play with, no doubt.

Read more War of the Spark card reviews here!

Emergence Zone - A Magic the Gathering War of the Spark Card Review

4/1/2019

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

Emergence Zone is an uncommon nonbasic land from Magic the Gathering's War of the Spark. This colorless land is in the vein of Alchemist’s Refuge and Winding Canyons. Not only does it provide one colorless mana by tapping it, but it also has a sacrifice ability for a single mana to give all spells you cast flash until end of turn.That means everything in your hand can be played at instant speed. While Alchemist’s Refuge and Winding Canyons didn’t require you sacrifice them, there are a few things about Emergence Zone that make it a particularly fascinating card across many different competitive Magic the Gathering formats.

While needing to sacrifice Emergence Zone does present a drawback, the ability only costs a single colorless mana for any type of spell you cast. Because you are sacrificing a land, though, sacrificing Emergence Zone essentially costs you two mana and not just one. It’s a fair price for the ability, though, and because you can play it in any deck, Emergence Zone can fit into many different deck strategies.

It has already been suggested that Emergence Zone will see a lot of play in decks that can retrieve it or recur it from the graveyard. Without a doubt, Emergence Zone becomes a lot more powerful with something like Crucible of Worlds in play (which actually is in Standard at the time of War of the Spark’s release).Being able to play it from the graveyard is a crazy powerful play, as it doesn’t even come into play tapped.

Emergence Zone in EDH / Commander

The most obvious place for Emergence Zone to see play is in EDH, as many Commanders already enjoy having access to flash through lands like Alchemist’s Refuge and Winding Canyons. Alchemist’s Refuge, though, requires Blue and Green mana to activate. While the Refuge does not require the sacrifice, it can only be played in decks with Blue and Green mana. Winding Canyons only requires two colorless mana to activate its ability, but only gives flash to creature spells.

Emergence Zone in Modern Colorless Eldrazi

There has already been speculation that Emergence Zone may be played in some Eldrazi decks in Modern. It provides the required colorless mana for some of the Colorless Eldrazi deck’s best creatures like Matter Reshaper, Thought-Knot Seer, Reality Smasher, and Endbringer. But, it also gives you the ability to flash in your creatures, something that is relevant with Eldrazi Mimic already in play. The Mimic can copy the power and toughness of any colorless creature that enters the battlefield on your side. That makes for a neat combat trick. Flash is also relevant for flashing in the deck’s other spells like Basilisk Collar. Ghostfire Blade, and Ratchet Bomb. It’s particularly cute with Ratchet Bomb, because Flash allows you to tick it up with an additional charge counter.

Emergence Zone in Standard

Probably the most interesting use for Emergence Zone in the Standard format it enters is a deck heavy on planeswalkers. Sure, planeswalkers have been played at instant speed in EDH before thanks to a wide variety of Flash enablers like Alchemist’s Refuge, Leyline of Anticipation, and Vedalken Orrery. But, with War of the Spark planeswalkers having static abilities besides just loyalty abilities, suddenly giving them the ability to have flash becomes a lot more important. It could be argued that Emergence Zone is going to be a key card in some sort of Planeswalker Control deck. We shall see how this land’s use develops as War of the Spark is released.

How would you use Emergence Zone?

Read more War of the Spark card reviews here!

Tibalt, Rakish Instigator - A Magic the Gathering War of the Spark Card Review

4/1/2019

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

As soon as it was announced that War of the Spark would contain 36 planeswalker cards, everyone knew that the set would feature the first uncommon planeswalkers in Magic the Gathering. Many players assumed that Tibalt, one of the weakest planeswalkers in the game, would be one of those uncommon planeswalkers. As it turns out, Tibalt, Rakish Instigator is indeed an uncommon planeswalker. Plus, as some players hoped, this Tibalt planeswalker is actually playable.

The early excitement around this new Tibalt planeswalker caused TCGPlayer to jokingly call the new set “War of the Tibalt” on April Fool’s Day. It seems that the hype is justified. Being an uncommon planeswalker, Tibalt has a regular static ability as well as a single loyalty ability.

What Does Tibalt, Rakish Instigator Do?

This Tibalt planeswalker starts with 5 loyalty, which is a decent number for a 3 mana planeswalker. His static ability is that your opponents can’t gain life. This ability is actually a powerful one, especially in a Red deck. Some players have already suggested him as a sideboard card for this ability alone.

Tibalt, Rakish Instigator also has a pretty decent loyalty ability, as well: at the cost of two loyalty counters, you put a 1/1 Devil creature token into play. That Devil token has an ability that when it dies, it deals 1 damage to any target. With the 5 loyalty that Tibalt, Rakish Instigator starts with in play, that means he can create 2 tokens and still stay on the board.

How Good Are Tibalt, Rakish Inbstigator's Abilities?

These Devil tokens are pretty much an exact match to a common from Ravnica Allegiance called Footlight Fiend. They cost either a single Black or single Red mana to cast, and have seen Standard play in the occasional Mardu Aristocrats deck. For 3 mana, you’re essentially able to create two of these Devils and are left with essentially an enchantment that prevents your opponent from gaining life.

As some players have already commented, preventing lifegain for your opponent is an ability that is on Rampaging Ferocidon, a card that was banned from Standard for being too powerful. While Ferocidon was powerful for other reasons, that’s a very relevant ability and is going to be one that hurts some decks. If for nothing else, Tibalt is good for that and creating two bodies that do something useful. Keep in mind that those tokens can deal that 1 damage to a planeswalker when they die, something that is more relevant than ever.

Tibalt, Rakish Instigator is already a card people are looking forward to playing. Whether it’s in Burn sideboards, or even works its way into main decks, this planeswalker is sure to see play. Plus, being an uncommon, it will be extremely easy to pull your playset from War of the Spark. An uncommon planeswalker with a decent metagame relevant ability that can also protect himself with tokens is a good card. While I wouldn’t dare pre-order him - he was starting out around $2 to $3 for an uncommon - he’s definitely worth picking up as copies become readily available.

Read more War of the Spark card reviews here!

Jeskai Ascendancy in Modern: 2019 Edition

3/30/2019

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

Jeskai Ascendancy was one of the more exciting cards to come out of the Magic: the Gathering set Khans of Tarkir. It’s an enchantment that gives you a couple of things to do anytime you cast a noncreature spell: it gives creatures you control +1/+1, plus gives you the option to draw a card and discard a card - otherwise known as looting. Even being three colors to cast, it’s a pretty powerful card in a Jeskai deck.

When the powerful Monastery Mentor and his army of Monk tokens were in Standard, Jeskai Ascendancy was a key card in the Jeskai strategy. Not only did the Ascendancy pump the Mentor and tokens, but the Mentor and tokens themselves had Prowess, which gave each of them an additional +1/+1 for each noncreature spell you cast.

The Mentor strategy carried over to Legacy, where there are plenty of cheap powerful noncreature spells to fuel the Mentor. But, Jeskai Ascendancy wasn’t a key part of the Legacy strategy. It seemed eventually that Jeskai Ascendancy would eventually break through in Modern, though. While it would make occasional top appearances at Modern tournaments here and there, it wasn’t until March 2019 when a list took down a Magic Online Competitive Modern League.

Here is that Jeskai Ascendancy Combo Modern deck list piloted by Kayu:

Jeskai Ascendancy Combo

LANDS (20)
2 Faerie Conclave
4 Flooded Strand
2 Hallowed Fountain
1 Island
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Sacred Foundry
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Spirebluff Canal
2 Steam Vents

CREATURES (6)
4 Fatestitcher
2 Monastery Mentor

INSTANTS and SORCERIES (30)
4 Faithless Looting
4 Opt
4 Path to Exile
4 Serum Visions
4 Sleight of Hand
4 Spell Pierce
4 Thought Scour
2 Visions of Beyond

ENCHANTMENTS (4)
4 Jeskai Ascendancy

SIDEBOARD
2 Abrade
1 Dispel
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Hurkyl's Recall
2 Negate
3 Surgical Extraction
2 Timely Reinforcements
3 Young Pyromancer

The strategy of this Jeskai Ascendancy deck is pretty straightforward. Fatestitcher allows you to tap or untap target permanents, which either allows you to untap your lands or tap down opponent’s cards. Then, each time you cast one of the cheap noncreature spells in the deck, Monastery Mentor creates a 1/1 Cleric token with Prowess. With the addition of Jeskai Ascendancy in play, you get the extra +1/+1 on top of the Prowess, plus the ability to loot for additional spells to play.

Unlike some enchantments, Jeskai Ascendancy is actually a card you don’t mind having more than one of in play at one time. Each copy of the Ascendancy gives you another +1/+1 trigger, as well as another “looting” trigger. Also, casting additional copies of the Ascendancy, as a noncreature spell, triggers Prowess and any other Jeskai Ascendancy in play. This deck can overwhelm quite quickly if Mentor is allowed to stick around in play.

Also, this deck has the ability to bring in Young Pyromancer and Timely Reinforcements from the sideboard, so that the deck can keep up with more aggressive decks.

This isn’t the only competitive Jeskai Ascendancy deck that appeared in March 2019. Here’s another interesting approach to a 4-color Jeskai Ascendancy Modern deck that uses Glittering Wish as a toolbox card to search out any multi-colored card from the sideboard.

Glittering Jeskai Ascendancy

LANDS (17)
1 Botanical Sanctum
1 Breeding Pool
4 Flooded Strand
4 Gemstone Mine
1 Grove of the Burnwillows
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Horizon Canopy
1 Island
1 Plains
1 Steam Vents
1 Temple Garden

CREATURES (11)
4 Birds of Paradise
3 Fatestitcher
4 Sylvan Caryatid

INSTANTS and SORCERIES (28)
3 Cerulean Wisps
2 Faithless Looting
4 Glittering Wish
1 Lightning Bolt
4 Manamorphose
1 Mystic Speculation
1 Nagging Thoughts
1 Noxious Revival
1 Path to Exile
4 Serum Visions
1 Silence
4 Sleight of Hand
1 Swan Song

ENCHANTMENTS (4)
1 Abundant Growth
3 Jeskai Ascendancy

SIDEBOARD
1 Abrade
1 Ceremonious Rejection
1 Detention Sphere
1 Failure / Comply
1 Fiery Justice
1 Flesh / Blood
1 Jeskai Ascendancy
3 Leyline of Sanctity
1 Path to Exile
1 Scarscale Ritual
2 Silence
1 Swan Song

The idea of beating down your opponent with Birds of Paradise (and Fatestitchers perhaps) is a pretty wild thing. But, with this deck, that is completely possible, and actually expected. It’s a clever deck, for sure. While it didn’t take down a Competitive Modern League, it certainly held its own as a neat brew.

With Jeskai Ascendancy showing it's competitive with the rest of the Modern format in 2019, it’s an enchantment that you could definitely be adding to your Magic: the Gathering card collection. Going into April 2019, it was still remarkably cheap - $0.50 nonfoil, $2.50 to $3.00 in foil). But, it would also be in the top 10 of best selling Magic cards on TCGPlayer going into April 2019. By mid-July 2019, Jeskai Ascendancy would creep up in price to nearly $2 in foil and over $7 in foil. Jeskai Ascendancy is not a card you will want to miss out on before it starts seeing more play!