Category: Modern Masters 2017 - Life... Successfully

Blade Splicer - A Magic the Gathering (MTG) Card Review

6/25/2017

by ElspethFTW, Old School Duelist

Once a 6 dollar card, Blade Splicer saw a dramatic drop in price when she was reprinted in Modern Masters 2017 (MM3). At one point, Blade Splicer's MM3 printing dropped below a dollar and her original New Phyrexia printing steadily dropped towards $1.50. But in mid-2017, the two printings started to converge in price and the MM3 version began a slow rise.

It's hardly surprising to see Blade Splicer recovering from reprints. She saw lots of play during her time in Standard, especially in Birthing Pod decks. Blade Splicer would slide into Birthing Pod Modern decks, as well.

Does Blade Splicer Still See Play in Modern?

Even with the banning of Birthing Pod in Modern, Blade Splicer still sees top table Modern deck play in Eldrazi and Taxes and Hatebear decks. These decks really like Blade Splicer because of all of the "blink" effects in the deck. Eldrazi Displacer, Flickerwisp, and Restoration Angel can allow to reuse Blade Splicer's enter the battlefield ability again and again. She also does fairly well in EDH.

A card with the competitive pedigree of Blade Splicer couldn't stay around $1 forever. Even the New Phyrexia foils held at $3 and MM2017 foils at around $2. The low Blade Splicer foil price is due to being a foil promo in an intro pack deck. But, even that extra supply won't last forever.

Why is Blade Splicer Good?

Since Blade Splicer gives any Golems you control first strike, it's possible a golem creature might be printed at some point that will work well alongside her. We have seen her and Solemn Simulacrum work well together before. First strike is a very relevant ability. Four power for 3 mana is also just always going to be good.

While it's not likely that Blade Splicer will skyrocket in price, she will not remain cheap forever. It's always good to catch these long-term MTG card stocks to hold early. This is a card that can only get better with time. Players aren't really going to let her go at this point. Of course, Blade Splicer foils are the better investment, as they will be considerably more valuable sooner.

Modern Masters 2017 Spoilers (MTG) - Voice of Resurgence Reprint

3/2/2017

by ElspethFTW, Gaming Successfully Staff

Dragon's Maze is widely considered to be one of the weakest Magic the Gathering sets ever released in terms of power level. However, there are some very good cards in the set, including undoubtedly the best in the set: Voice of Resurgence.

After being a staple in many Standard decks, Voice of Resurgence has moved into many Modern decks. As a card you definitely want to have four copies of in your collection, this powerful Elemental creature is getting harder to find. No one really wants to open Dragon's Maze packs to find them, either.

Fortunately for everyone, Voice of Resurgence has been reprinted in Modern Masters 2017 for all to enjoy. Who doesn't like making a free token whenever your opponent casts a spell on your turn or when it dies? Cards that replace themselves are good enough, but against the many control decks in Modern, Voice of Resurgence is a very powerful force.

As one of the better creatures ever printed in Magic, it's good to see this guy become a lot more available! Along with Tarmogoyf, of course... (yes, 'Goyf was reprinted yet again in MM2017...)

Modern Masters 2017 Spoilers (MTG) - Burning-Tree Emissary and Magma Jet Reprinted at Common!

3/1/2017

by ElspethFTW, Gaming Successfully Staff

Burning-Tree Emissary and Magma Jet were huge players back in their days in Standard. While it's not a lot, the Emissary sees occasional play in Modern Zoo decks. Also, Magma Jet still sees some Modern play in Skred Red. Both were previously printed exclusively at uncommon. But in Modern Masters 2017, both cards are reprinted at common.

These are two cards expected to have an immediate impact in the all-common Pauper format. Burning-Tree Emissary is a solid value creature that essentially pays for itself by giving you one Red and one Green mana when he enters the battlefield. This should help speed up some of the Aggro and "Stompy" decks in the format. Casting him and potentially two other one-mana creatures in a turn is a huge tempo swing. Also, while Pauper already has premier burn spells in Lightning Bolt and Lava Spike, among others, Magma Jet will probably see play in decks that value the Scry 2, such as Izzet Delver, a top deck in the format.

Kudos to Wizards for making these two very useful cards more readily available and even eligible in Pauper!

Modern Masters 2017 Spoilers (MTG) - Mortician Beetle Reprinted at Common

3/1/2017

by ElspethFTW, Gaming Successfully Staff

First printed in Rise of the Eldrazi, Mortician Beetle always seemed like a decent card, but one that shouldn't have been printed at rare. However, it's been a dollar rare for quite some time. According to EDHREC, Mortician Beetle sees a fair, but not great amount of play in Commander. But due to the potential power of the Beetle's effect, it does see a fair amount of casual play.

The Beetle allows you to put a +1/+1 counter on it each time a player sacrifices a creature. This allows for the Beetle to grow quite large, especially in Commander, where sacrifice themes are rampant. But this is hardly a popular card in Modern, despite there being decks that could take advantage of its ability. It doesn't have trample, though, and it doesn't fly, so it basically just becomes a big dumb beater. Still, it can potentially kill out of nowhere.

For Modern Masters 2017, it was decided to reprint this creature at common. This makes sense, as in Rise of the Eldrazi, the sacrifice theme was extremely important to the set. Having a creature like this at common or even uncommon would have unbalanced what is considered to be one of the best draft formats in Magic the Gathering history. Now being more readily available, it's likely we'll see Mortician Beetle pop up in more Commander decks.

The other impact of this rarity change means that Mortician Beetle is now legal in the all-common Pauper format. While there isn't currently a top deck that could use the Beetle in what's actually an extremely competitive format, Mortician Beetle could see play in new brews based around Tortured Existence, a good card that's been in the format for years.

This is a good reprint, although it's a bit disappointing for people that bought Rise of the Eldrazi foil Mortician Beetles for their Commander decks. Still, this is a card I didn't expect to see at common, and it's hard not to like it at that rarity.

Modern Masters 2017 Spoilers (MTG) - Falkenrath Aristocrat Reprinted at Rare Instead of Mythic Rare

3/1/2017

by ElspethFTW, Gaming Successfully Staff

Originally from Dark Ascension, Falkenrath Aristocrat was quite a boss creature back in her Standard days. She was a part of several top decks during her time in Standard. Nowadays, she's pretty much just a casual card, although she shows up alongside Marchesa, the Black Rose, Olivia Voldaren, and others in Commander. In Modern Masters 2017, her rarity was downgraded to rare from mythic rare.

As an aside, Falkenrath Aristocrat still sees a lot of play in the European Highlander format in a deck known commonly as 4-Color Blood. It's a 100-card singleton format like Commander, except without a Commander. It's a cool format, actually, so she'll still being seeing play there.

While she wasn't an expensive card as of her reprint, around $3, she'll now be extremely cheap. She doesn't really see any play at all in Modern, but she's still a decent card to have at rare. But without a huge amount of competitive demand (outside of European Highlander), she'll be a very cheap card before long.

Damnation - Modern Masters 2017 Reprints (MTG)

2/27/2017

by ElspethFTW, Old School Duelist

Many Magic the Gathering players have been clamoring for a reprint of the black board-wipe Damnation for years. It’s become an ongoing meme that with each upcoming set, players would speculate that Damnation would somehow be in the set. Some speculated Wizards was saving Damnation as a chase card for Amonkhet or be featured in an upcoming Modern Masters release. In fact, Wizards saved Damnation for all these years to include it in Modern Masters 2017.

Damnation is essentially just a 4-mana Black version of Wrath of God. The only difference is that it is in Black, a color-shifted variant from Planar Chaos. The reason that Damnation is so good is that it can be played in non-White Modern decks such as Grixis Delver, Grixis Control, and most often Jund. It also sees play in Abzan decks, despite having access to White, since Black is an easier color to fix for in those decks. Interestingly, Damnation is rarely seen in competitive Modern mainboards, and usually relegated to a single copy in the sideboard for certain matchups. In any case, it’s still a valuable card to have around.

Damnation is particularly popular in Commander, where Black decks are quite rampant. In a singleton format, those decks that can will play both Wrath of God and Damnation. What makes Damnation better than a boardwipe like Day of Judgment is that creatures can’t be regenerated. While Thrun, the Last Troll, Troll Ascetic, and other creatures with regenerate aren’t rampant in Modern, they do see play in the format. Affinity, a very popular and powerful Modern deck, also has ways to regenerate some of their artifact creatures. Damnation takes care of those corner cases.

Since Damnation is so good in Modern, this is a great reprint to help players invest more in the format. But since Damnation is such a staple in Commander, this will also be of great use to those players, as well. Pretty much everyone is going to want this card, so get your hands on them while you can! This reprint cut the $50 price tag for this card in half, but it's certainly going to be in demand for the foreseeable future.

Goblin Guide - Modern Masters 2017 Reprints (MTG)

2/27/2017

by ElspethFTW, Old School Duelist

Of all the creatures to need a reprint, Goblin Guide was definitely towards the top of the list. In Modern Masters 2017, Goblin Guide is indeed present along with new artwork. A staple in both Modern Burn and even Legacy Burn decks, the Goblin Scout had hit $25 to $35 per copy and needed fresh supply to keep up with demand.

The Goblin Guide reprint will be of help to many players that couldn’t afford their playset previously. The new artwork is cool, too. While there was previously a promotional reprint of Goblin Guide available, with great artwork, it wasn’t nearly enough extra supply to keep up with the massive demand for this card.

Goblin Tribal is a popular casual deck, as is Burn. Keeping this in mind, there will be both competitive and casual demand for this card. So, it's important to pick up your copies of Goblin Guide at the best price that you can when you need it. This isn't a card that is going to ever not be in demand unless something strictly better is printed - which is unlikely.

Fetch Lands, Tri Lands, and Guildgates, Oh My! - Modern Masters 2017 Reprints (MTG)

2/27/2017

by ElspethFTW, Old School Duelist

When three land cycles were released in Modern Masters 2017 spoilers, few players were probably surprised to see land cycles each at the common, uncommon, and rare rarities. What may have surprised some players is that the rare cycle of lands were the enemy-colored fetch lands from Zendikar!

That’s right. Arid Mesa, Marsh Flats, Misty Rainforest, Scalding Tarn, and Verdant Catacombs are a part of the Modern Masters 2017 set. They’ve been awaiting reprints for years now, and considering that they are staples in the Modern format, it makes sense that a Modern Masters set finally contains them. Without a doubt, these are going to be five of the chase cards in the entire set (plus, a little Black sorcery called Damnation!)

Obviously, this reprint will put a huge dent in the prices of the original Zendikar printings of these five lands. At the time of the announcement, Arid Mesa was $50, Marsh Flats was $35, Misty Rainforest was $45, Scalding Tarn about $75, and Verdant Catacombs around $60. The supply of these was getting low due to pretty much every Magic player wanting at least four copies of each. They’re playable, and very good, in every format outside of Standard. Fetch lands not only fix mana quickly at the cost of only a single point of life, but shorten the number of lands that you draw, as well.

Still, we should not overlook that the five Shards of Alara tri lands are also included in the set. These are Arcane Sanctum, Crumbling Necropolis, Jungle Shrine, Savage Lands, and Seaside Citadel. While they don’t see much in the way of Constructed play anymore, they do see considerable play in Commander. The tri lands are also quite popular among casual players for mana fixing, as we’ve seen with the Khans of Tarkir tri lands. They do come into play tapped, but having access to three different colors of mana is worth the drawback. Even though these lands were reprinted in both the Commander 2013 and Commander 2016 product, there’s still a lot of demand for these.

The Return to Ravnica and Gatecrash Guildgates aren’t exciting, but they too see some play in the various Maze’s End decks that still roam at the fringes of Modern. They are also very popular among budget casual players and do indeed see play in Commander. While they come into play tapped, they are so easily obtainable that many players will use them as filler lands until they acquire more efficient mana sources.

These are some great lands to open not only for drafting and sealed deck purposes. These lands will be good to open for collection purposes and deck building, as well. The fetch lands themselves sell sets.

Stoic Angel - Modern Masters 2017 Reprints (MTG)

2/21/2017

by ElspethFTW, Old School Duelist

When the packaging artwork for Modern Masters 2017 was revealed, most people were fine with Domri Rade and Griselbrand being two out of the three cards featured as the first spoilers for the set. But the third choice caused some Magic the Gathering players to scratch their heads, a rare originally from Shards of Alara called Stoic Angel.

Besides having some really nice artwork, Stoic Angel actually has a really good ability. Whenever she is on the battlefield, each player can only untap one creature during each turn’s untap phase. She’s also a 3 / 4 flyer with vigilance for only 4 mana, although her casting cost is 1WUG (1 colorless, 1 white, 1 blue, 1 green).

Being in three colors obviously limits her playability, especially in Limited. Still, this Angel is a good creature. It just seems strange to feature her so prominently, isn’t it? That art, though, with a beautiful angel holding an hourglass, is really pretty.

From a players’ standpoint, some were understandably upset to have a $2 card who really only sees play in EDH as a featured card for the set. However, Angels are among the more popular tribes in Magic the Gathering. From a marketing perspective, Wizards clearly felt this was a good card to feature. This is Stoic Angel’s first reprint, after all. It’s also worth pointing out that foil copies were rising in price, due to demand from EDH players looking to foil out their decks.

Stoic Angel is actually a very strong card in EDH, since her ability becomes much more relevant in a multiplayer game. She’s particularly important in decks with Rafiq of the Many as a Commander. By making it very difficult for opponents to keep their creatures untapped, the powerful Soldier Commander can attack undeterred much more often.

Derevi, Empyrial Tactician decks also make good use of Stoic Angel as Derevi’s ability allows you to untap more often than your opponent’s will be able to. Jenara, Asura of War is another Commander that typically plays Stoic Angel alongside, as Jenara is all about stacking up on +1/+1 counters and taking out players with Commander damage.

In any case, Stoic Angel doesn’t have to tap to attack, since she has vigilance. This means that you can easily have two creatures untapped and ready to attack whereas other players will only be able to untap one per turn. In Limited, she’s actually quite powerful. In 60-card Constructed formats, she's not nearly as much. Still, Stoic Angel is a cool card, just not one worth opening as a rare in a $10 Modern Masters 2017 booster pack. Still, this was a card probably overdue for a reprint.

Domri Rade - Modern Masters 2017 Reprints (MTG)

2/21/2017

by ElspethFTW, Old School Duelist

Domri Rade was a strong Magic the Gathering card during his days in Standard. At one time, when Birthing Pod was still legal in Modern, Domri Rade saw a lot of play in some dominant Pod decks. Nowadays, Domri only sees play in Modern Zoo decks here and there, as well as the occasional Kiki-Chord or Naya Company deck. Still, being a planeswalker that’s cheap to cast with decent abilities, Domri Rade was selected for reprint in Modern Masters 2017.

While hardly a staple in Modern, Domri does see tons of play in Commander. This is especially the case in creature-heavy decks led by Commanders such as Xenagos, God of Revels, Animar, Soul of Elements, Surrak Dragonclaw, Mayael the Anima, and many more. There’s plenty of demand for the Gruul-colored planeswalker from the EDH crowd and he’s sought after by casual players, as well.

Domri isn’t a big player in Modern right now, but he’s definitely playable in the format. There is one deck in Modern called Domri Zoo that is primarily a Bloodbraid Elf aggro deck, but plays one copy of Domri Rade. That's partly because he's a 3 mana planeswalker, so he's a great target to hit with Bloodbraid Elf's cascade ability. Who doesn't want to cast a Bloodbraid Elf into a Domri Rade?

In a creature-heavy deck, Domri's +1 loyalty ability can essentially draw you a card by putting a creature in your hand - although he can whiff. His -2 is a form of removal that’s decent enough if you control a creature larger than the one that you’re fighting (unless you’re playing creatures with Undying or Persist). Domri’s emblem is quite good, but in a fast-moving competitive format like Modern, it’s rare that Domri will ever get to 7 counters.

While he may not be a card with a high price tag, Domri Rade is still a decent mythic rare to pull from a Modern Masters 2017 pack. He could reemerge in the format if Domri Zoo or a similar deck becomes more prevalent in the format at some point in the future. Even if he doesn’t, Domri Rade is still a good planeswalker to have in your collection.

Griselbrand - Modern Masters 2017 Reprints (MTG)

2/20/2017

by ElspethFTW, Old School Duelist

Griselbrand was quite the powerhouse when he was in Standard. One of the major chase cards from Avacyn Restored, Griselbrand proved to have such raw power that he became banned in Commander, and appears in several Modern, Legacy, and even Vintage decks! Now the massive powerhouse of a Demon gets a reprint in Modern Masters 2017!

Some players argue that perhaps Griselbrand didn't really need another reprint after being a Grand Prix promo. But as Griselbrand is a fan favorite, it's not really a surprise that Wizards of the Coast decided to feature him on the set's packaging and as one of the chase mythic rares of the set. They know that this powerful Demon will help sell the set.

As far as Modern is concerned, Griselbrand is part of only really one competitive Modern deck right now. That deck is Goryo's Vengeance, a deck that utilizes the deck's namesake card, Goryo's Vengeance, and Through the Breach to cheat out Borborygmos Enraged, Worldspine Wurm, and of course, Griselbrand.

In Legacy, Griselbrand is featured in multiple decks, including Sneak and Show and Black-Red Reanimator, as well as other decks. Even in Vintage, Griselbrand is a part of a powerful deck archetype called Bomberman Oath, which utilizes the powerful Enchantment, Oath of Druids.

While Griselbrand isn't nearly as expensive as he once was, Magic players will always be happy to open copies of the Demon in their Modern Masters 2017 packs!