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.

There’s a lot of things to like about Asylum Visitor from Shadows Over Innistrad. Not only is she a vampire, but she has the Madness ability. This means if you happen to discard her, you can pay 1B to cast her!

Having a 3/1 creature for 2 mana is good enough. But she also has an ability that may remind you of a poor man’s Dark Confidant and Phyrexian Arena rolled into one. At the beginning of each player’s upkeep, if that player has no cards in hand, you lose 1 life and draw a card. The beauty of this ability is that it’s a pure bonus

While people have built plenty a Madness deck and taken them to their Local Game Store, the Madness mechanic hasn’t quite broken through as a major contender in competitive play. Quite a few of these Madness creatures have made noise on Magic Online, though, so it seems that Asylum Visitor and friends have been a bit underappreciated. But with Asylum Visitor leaving Standard in October 2017, her time to potentially shine would be over... in Standard.

Asylum Visitor in Modern Mardu Madcap Experiment!

It turns out that one clever deckbuilder found a way to work Asylum Visitor into a Modern deck! This Mardu Madcap Experiment list came in 8th place at SCG Modern IQ Ludlow, and it’s a cool one! Like Asylum Visitor, Madcap Experiment is a card that plenty of deck builders have brewed around, but it hasn’t found a consistent build just yet. Fortunately for Madcap Experiment, its drawback of potentially burning you to death is negated by the emblem of Gideon of the Trials, which prevents you from losing the game if you control a Gideon planeswalker.

So how do three copies of Asylum Visitor make it into this deck? This deck has two planeswalkers that will require you to discard a card on occasion in Liliana of the Veil and Nahiri, the Harbinger. Ticking these gals up and essentially getting a free creature puts you ahead on tempo. Faithless Looting also requires you to discard a card, so the Visitor can come down in that case, too. Asylum Visitor is also nice as a choice to discard when an opponent activates his or her Liliana’s discard ability. The potential card advantage from her conditional Phyrexian Arena type ability is just gravy.

The best part about Asylum Visitor is her price. On Magic Online, she’s often been available for a mere penny. In paper, she’s hung around $0.50, and has been under a dollar since June of 2016. If you’re looking for a penny stock to invest in with some Modern playability, Asylum Visitor is definitely a good target. Beyond simply being a good Vampire for casual players to eat up, as well as Vampire Tribal Commander decks, Asylum Visitor could find a home in this Mardu Madcap archetype going forward. You really can’t lose much either way.

While you’re at it, you may want to take a look at Madcap Experiment, which is around the same price or lower.

Liliana's Mastery is a neat little Enchantment from Magic: the Gathering's Expansion set. It costs 5 mana to cast (3BB) and gives all of your Zombies +1/+1. The Enchantment also brings two 2/2 Zombie creature tokens into play. This means that these tokens are nominally 3/3 creatures with Liliana's Mastery in play. With how successfully Mono-Black Zombies played in Amonkhet Standard right from the get-go, it's not surprising that Liliana's Mastery has been seen as a two-of in some lists.

With the mass of new Zombie cards featured in Amonkhet, many players are seeking out any other cards that might synergize well with the powerful new Zombies. One card that has come to mind is a Zombie-themed sorcery card from Shadows Over Innistrad, From Under the Floorboards.

With the same mana cost as Liliana's Mastery, it would seem that this sorcery and the Enchantment would be competing for the same space in the deck. So does this Zombie token creator with Madness seem worthy of Standard play?

From a raw power standpoint, these two cards are extremely similar. From Under the Floorboards puts three 2/2 Zombie tokens into play. This is the same 6 power that Liliana's Mastery offers, but spread among three creatures instead of two. However, those tokens come into play tapped, which is a drawback. To make up for that drawback, you get to gain 3 life. For 5 mana, that's a good amount of value.

What really stands out about this card is its Madness cost. It has an X cost in it, meaning that if you discard this card, you can choose how much mana to pump into it. Heck, it's probably worth it to pay 1BB for the token and 1 life, especially since it can be played at Instant speed when Madness is being used.

Here's the thing, though. Cards that cost 5 mana or more that don't have an immediate impact on the board tend not to do well in Standard. Granted, this card does have a nice interaction with Wayward Wanderer, which would usually gain you 3 life and make your opponent lose 3 life. But with Liliana's Mastery, you're getting an immediate power boost for your other existing Zombies, plus two 3/3 bodies that can block right away. Then, you can get an immediate 4 point life swing from the Wanderer (or more if you have multiple Wanderers on board).  The immediate effect on the board is more obvious.

Both of these cards are good, but I see why competitive players have shunned From Under the Floorboards. With another Zombie lord, Lord of the Accursed, also in Amonkhet, the boost from Liliana's Mastery is likely enough for the Zombie player to make a lethal push. The Mastery definitely wins here, although I really like From Under the Floorboards in a White/Black Zombie deck that favors tokens and Anointed Procession, which doubles said tokens.

Which do you prefer: From Under the Floorboards, Liliana's Mastery, or would you just play both?

When I first saw Cryptolith Rite, my first thought was: is this an actual Magic the Gathering card? When I read the comments that people were leaving about it, my thought was confirmed. This seems too good.

Turning all of your creatures into Birds of Paradise seems pretty broken to me. This seems like it could make Green builds of Eldrazi extremely quick. There's a lot of talk of turn 4 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger. This with Scion tokens seems pretty busted.

There's really only one problem with this card. It's extremely bad to draw multiple copies. In Commander, that's perfectly fine since you're only going to ever play one anyway. But the power of this card can't be underestimated. With enough creature tokens on board, you can have all the mana you could ever want.

Many players called Cryptolith Rite a "win more" sort of card. What I mean by that is it's a bit tricky to build around it because if you draw more than one, it can be bad. Sure, there's enough enchantment removal around that having a back-up copy in hand is fine. But the best enchantments are those that actually benefit you in multiples. So while the power level of this card is undeniable, it's hard to say just how much it will impact Standard. It's probably a bit slow for Modern, but if Eldrazi Temple and/or Eye of Ugin get banned, this may be a viable option to keep the deck in contention.

There's one other deck that loves this card: Slivers. Gemhide Sliver in Legacy and Manaweft Sliver in Modern are 2 drops that gives all your slivers the same ability as Cryptolith Rite. You probably only would need this as a one-of or two-of to make it worth playing. But you already have ways of making all 5 colors easily in Modern, in Slivers and Allies both. So it's not a must for Modern.

Back to Commander, though, this card is absolutely busted in token decks that run Green. There are plenty of them, too. A lot of five-color decks will want this, too. Cards that are best as one-ofs tend to scale up in Commander. Also, if this draws out enchantment removal, it's probably worth the two mana. Really, mana fixing is so important in Commander that you can end up losing games just by not getting enough of one color. So at the very least, Commander players all over the place will buy it.

So, where does this card fit in Standard? I definitely see Green Eldrazi decks of all stripes seeing ways to plug it in. Losing fetch lands may make it necessary. I don't think it's really necessary in Modern. The good news about this card is while it has an inherently powerful ability, there are ways to do away with it fairly easily. Also, once you draw a second copy, it's most likely just going to be discard fodder, anyway., Still, this is a sweet card and I can't wait to get a chance to play with it.

"My faith guides my hand..." says the Pious Evangel.

Whenever our Human Cleric friend or another of our creatures enter the battlefield under our control, we gain 1 life. We have no choice in the matter. It is not a may effect. Just gain the one life. There's nothing wrong with this ability. Of course, when you compare it to the famous "Soul Sisters" Soul Warden and Soul's Attendant (or even Auriok Champion if she's more your fancy), it's pretty underwhelming. The Soul Sisters give you one life whether it's your creature or an opponent's.  And those gals cost only a single mana to cast. This dude costs 3 - 2 and a White.

However, for a cost of 2 mana and sacrificing another permanent of yours, you can transform him...

"...and I will prove my devotion." the Wayward Disciple says.

How exactly does the Wayward Disciple prove his devotion? By becoming a 2/4 clone of Zulaport Cutthroat. Seriously, he does exactly the same thing. Does this make him bad, having to essentially pay 3 more mana plus the sacrificing of one of your permanents to get what the Cutthroat can give you for just 1 and a Black? Many players seem to think so.

While he may not be in the realm of "Constructed playable" land, I do think that this flavorful dude can do some work in Drafts and sealed deck tournaments. You know, there are plenty of cards designed for just that environment. This is one of them. Also, Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim has become a fairly popular Commander who loves having more Clerics around. Being both White and Black, it's no problem for Pious Evangel and his flipside to be jammed in there. I mean, in Commander, Blood Artist is better. But maybe you don't want to pay $4 a copy for one (yeah, seriously $4). This is a cheap alternative, albeit one that makes you do a lot for it. And Blood Artist is actually better, since his ability activates when anyone dies.

Still, I love the flavor of Shadows Over Innistrad, and this guy is a win from a flavor perspective. But yeah, I'll stick with Zulaport Cutthroat, Blood Artist and the Soul Sisters in my Commander decks. Nice try my Evangel friend, but your devotion will not sway my faith.

Soul Swallower is definitely one of the more interesting creatures with Delirium from Magic the Gathering's Shadows Over Innistrad set. Delirium abilities only activate once you have four or more different card types in your graveyard (e.g. Artifact, Creature, Instant, Sorcery, Land, etc.) What’s especially interesting about Soul Swallower is that he essentially “swallows souls” without actually removing any cards from your graveyard.

On his own, Soul Swallower is a 3/3 Wurm with Trample for 2GG. But once you have Delirium active, at the beginning of each upkeep, you get to put 3 +1/+1 counters on him. Very quickly, he can become very big. Having Trample means your opponent can’t simply chump-block, either. His effect is a bit slow for Constructed, though. Soul Swallower is pretty good in Limited, though, as seen in this winning Shadows Over Innistrad Sealed pool.

There is an Enchantment called Hardened Scales, which gives a creature an extra +1/+1 counter whenever they would gain one. Unfortunately, it was no longer in Standard when Soul Swallower arrived. It's  not like such a deck has very good synergy with Delirium anyway. Still, Soul Swallower was a bomb in Limited once you hit Delirium.

Soul Swallower does see some EDH / Commander play in graveyard-based decks like those led by The Gitrog Monster, Sidisi, Brood Tyrant, and Ishkanah, Grafwidow (who has Delirium herself).  Soul Swallower is another well-designed creature from the Shadows Over Innistrad set.

We all knew that Avacyn was returning in Shadows Over Innistrad. Not only has she returned, but she comes with a flip-side! A red-white Avacyn was speculated by some people when the set was first announced. Those that did so are quite correct. Archangel Avacyn is a 4/4 for 3WW with Flash, Flying, and Vigilance. When she enters the battlefield, creatures you control gain indestructible until end of turn. This is a pretty good effect and would make her a playable creature just with that.

But it's the flip-side that really makes this new Avacyn interesting. Whenever a non-Angel creature you control dies, you transform Avacyn at the beginning of the next upkeep. This means that you could Flash her in during an opponent's turn after one of your creatures die. She'll then transform as your turn begins. Avacyn becomes the Purifier, who deals 3 damage to each other creature and each opponent as she transforms.

The effect seems counter-intuitive since your creatures will no longer have indestructible at that point. There is Make a Stand from Oath of the Gatewatch, an 2W Instant that makes creatures you control gain +1/+0 and indestructible until end of turn. Also, Avacyn becomes a 6/5, although loses vigilance.

This new Avacyn is like a super-charged Serra Angel. She seems playable in a Red/White/X mid-range deck, although you don't actually need to play Red to play her in Constructed. Red/White/X Commander decks will really have fun with this new Avacyn, though, especially Kaalia of the Vast. She could prove to be a fairly good Commander herself, especially with Flash. Timing her ability is very important, but she can be pretty devastating.

In most cases, Avacyn the Purifier will wipe the board, deal 3 to your opponent, then swing for 6 more. Those 9 points of damage will likely be enough to win the game most times. Some players have noted that it doesn't seem fair that she doesn't deal the 3 damage to you - flavor wise. But this was probably done for play-ability reasons. She strikes me as a land stand sort of card that can turn things around when you're behind. Saving you from a board wipe seems worth it. You just have to be careful how and when she transforms. It's possible she'll be a format-defining card. Heck, she may even be playable in Modern. Only time will tell.

Invasive Surgery is a great example of the Delirium mechanic introduced in Shadows Over Innistrad. Delirium effects come into play if you have four or more card types among the cards in your graveyard. While this can be tricky, the payoff can definitely be worth it.

With Invasive Surgery, ordinarily you have a one-drop counterspell specifically targeting only sorceries. This is similar to Dispel which targets only instants. But with Delirium active, not only do you get to counter a sorcery spell, but you get to search that player's graveyard, hand, and library for any other cards with the same name and exile them.

While this card is a bit on the situational side, we've seen the power of cards like Surgical Extraction and Infinite Obliteration that have this sort of ability. Limited to only sorceries, though, Invasive Surgery is a bit narrow. Still, Delirium is a cool mechanic that if set up correctly could provide some extremely powerful benefits for those casting them.

Expose Evil from Shadows Over Innistrad introduces one of the more curious mechanics in Magic the Gathering, Investigate. When you cast a card with Investigate, you put a colorless "Clue" artifact token into play. You can sacrifice this Clue at any time for 2 colorless mana and draw a card. That's pretty good value. On top of that Expose Evil is a playable instant. It taps up to two target creatures for 1W. It's definitely good in Limited.

Back to Investigate as a mechanic, getting a free artifact is pretty cool. As other cards with Investigate are revealed, we'll get to see what mysteries can be unraveled through skillful sleuthing with these cards.