This thread will be home to the twice-weekly results of the voting that is taking place Right Here.
These cards are voted on by MTGS members giving their Top 20 cards, in the order they would draft them (At Pack 1, Pick 1). The final numbers posted on this thread are the average of the points assigned to each card (20 points for #1, 19 points for #2 and so on).
Final averages were rounded to their nearest tenth.
Each Group will have the Top 20 cards, a list of the voters as well as the now famous, TURF (Tendencies, Useless Ramblings & Facts). The only group not to have a Top 20 will be the Multi-color/Hybrids. This will be a group of 50 cards, broken down into the Top 5 for each two-color combination.
We had 21 (!) voters total, thanks for the great turnout!
Usman, ep., wtwlf123, DerBK, Shalazar, rantipole, kcolloran, mischief, bondafong, lim_qien, eidolon232, Konfusius, Donald_McDonald, Elgger Cube, Scko, Gurileck, TakeABow, HotShot, Fredo, Hicham and Calibretto.
Color Voting Tendencies, Useless Ramblings & Facts (TURF)
* Just missed: Isamaru, Hound of Konda (2.0) Cloudgoat Ranger (1.9) Karmic Guide (1.6), Academy Rector (1.4), Austere Command (1.1) and Eternal Dragon (1.1)
* Big Hitters: Balance, Armageddon (Ravages of War), Land Tax, Elspeth, Swords to Plowshares, Wrath of God and Baneslayer Angel were to only cards to receive votes from all voters.
* Cream of the Crop: Balance and Armageddon (Ravages of War) were the only two cards to receive votes of 20.
* Consistency: Balance, Armageddon (Ravages of War), Wrath of God and Land Tax all repeat as White's Top 4. Balance and Armageddon both had their composite numbers increase. Wrath of God's composite actually stayed exactly the same. Land Tax's composite increased 1.5 points to jump ahead of Wrath for 2010.
* Other changes: Path to Exile (10.1 in 2009, 9.7 in 2010) and Catastrophe (9.4 in 2009, 9.9 in 2010) swapped spots in 2010.
* Fall From Grace: Exalted Angel (6th to 11th) and Reveillark (8th to 14th) both dropped significantly for 2010.
* Freefall: Eternal Dragon (14th) Isamaru, Hound of Konda (17th), Cataclysm (18th) and Rout (20th) all fell from the 2009 Top 20.
* Bi-Polar Award: Catastrophe. Earned two votes of 18, two votes of 16, four votes of 15 and 3 no-votes.
* Day of Judgment: Despite the pretty heated debate between it and its big brother (Wrath), Day of Judgment actually had 2 no-votes.
* Path to Exile: With exception to a no-vote and a 3-vote, all votes were between 6 and 13.
* Rookies: White's two newest cards, Baneslayer Angel and Day of Judgment both tied for composite score and ranking in their first appearance.
* Veterans: Moat ranks in the Top 20 for the first time. It only received 12 of 21 votes, with a high of 18 and a low of 7 (!!).
* Faith's Fetters never had a vote higher than 9 points.
* Ajani Goldmane had one vote of 11, no other was higher than an 8-vote.
* Martial Coup cracked the Top 20, despite only receiving 9 votes, with a high of 12.
* 44 different cards received a vote.
We had 20 voters total and once again, I'd like to thank them for taking their time to participate.
Usman, ep., wtwlf123, DerBK, Shalazar, rantipole, kcolloran, mischief, bondafong, lim_qien, eidolon232, Konfusius, Donald_McDonald, Elgger Cube, Gurileck, HotShot, Fredo, Aznopium, Archmage & Calibretto
Color Voting Tendencies, Useless Ramblings & Facts (TURF)
* Just Missed: Cryptic Command & Keiga, the Tide Star (Both at 3.6), Morphling (2.8), Mulldrifter (1.7)
* Unanimous #1: Ancestral Recall is our first U20 for 2010.
* Top 4: Ancestral Recall, Time Walk, Mana Drain and Treachery all repeat as Blue's Top 4, in order, with minimal composite changes.
* Big Hitters: Ancestral Recall, Time Walk, Mana Drain, Treachery and Bribery were the only cards to receive votes from all participants. The lowest vote was a 1 to Bribery (and also received a 3-vote, 4-vote, 5-vote AND 6-vote).
* Anomaly: Gifts Given makes the Top 20 despite receiving only 6 votes. Those votes were: 19, 19, 18, 17, 15 and 15. Imagine if everyone had one!
* Bi-Polar Award: Upheaval. Four votes of 16 and 6 no-votes.
* Rookie: Jace, the Mind Scuptor makes his Top 20 debut at #12, receiving 18 of 20 votes, with a high of 16 and a low of 2. It seems we haven't made our mind up on him yet.
* Fall From Grace: Gifts Given fell 6 spots (#11 to #17), Capsize fell 5 spots (From #14 to #19), Timetwister fell 5 spots (#15 to #20), Cryptic Command (#17), Morphling (#18) and Keiga, the Tide Star (#19) all fell out of the Top 20.
* Big Mover: Time Spiral jumped from #16 to #9, with composite change of 5.8 to 8.5. Honorable Mention: Vedalken Shackles jumped from #20 to #14 with a composite change of 3.2 to 7.0.
* MTG's Most Solid Color?: Tinker (+1 slot), Upheaval (-2 slots), Bribery (+2 slots), Fact or Fiction (-3 slots), Meloku (-3 slots), Gifts Ungiven (no change), Force of Will (no change) -- all remained relatively steady.
* Mystery?: Timetwister makes the Top 20 despite 12 of 20 votes with a high of 14 (twice) and a low of 2 (three times).
* 48 different cards received a vote.
We had 22 voters total (A new Power Rankings record!!) -- thank you to everyone!
Usman, ep., wtwlf123, DerBK, Shalazar, rantipole, kcolloran, mischief, bondafong, lim_qien, eidolon232, Konfusius, Jimbobway, Elgger Cube, Gurileck, HotShot, Fredo, Aznopium, Hicham, TakeABow and Calibretto.
Color Voting Tendencies, Useless Ramblings & Facts (TURF)
* Just Missed: Ob Nixilis, the Fallen (2.5), Dark Ritual (2.2), Nether Void (1.9), Braids, Cabal Minion (1.5) and Living Death (1.4).
* Top 10: Black's Top 10 remained largely in tact with some minor shuffling around, the only exception being Yawgmoth's Will falling out of the Top 10 and Kokusho jumping into it.
* Top 6: The Top 6 cards all repeated, with the only change coming in the way of Bitterblossom and Vampiric Tutor switching spots.
* Tough Group to Join: The Top 15 all remained in tact, with the only change being Liliana falling out and Kokusho jumping in.
* Fall From Grace: Yawgmoth's Will (#7, 9.9 composite in 2009) took quite the hit, falling 8 spots. This is mostly from receiving only 50% of the votes. Other than a high of 19 and a low of 1, all other votes were between 5 and 15. I'm also going to give the Bi-Polar Award to Yawg's Will. Liliana Vess (#13, 5.2 composite in 2009) also plunged, a total of 7 spots and barely making this year's Top 20. Liliana had 7 no-votes and all votes were between 1 and 8. It's actually quite amazing she made the Top 20.
* With a Bullet: Kokusho (#17, 4.0 composite in 2009) jumps 7 spots into the Top 10. This is despite 5 no-votes, and votes of: 3, 4, 7, 7 and 8. If you're not running him, you should be. If you're not drafting him, you should be.
* Debuts: We had 4 cards make their Top 20 debut, Sorin Markov, Graveborn Muse, Imperial Seal and Barter in Blood. It's come to realization that Black's Top 10 is probably going to be the hardest to crack, with new cards only being added to spots 16 through 19. This should also make Kokusho's jump that much more impressive.
* Heavy Hitters: Five cards received votes from all participants: Mind Twist, Recurring Nightmare, Demonic Tutor, Bitterblossom and Vampiric Tutor.
* For the Record: Damnation had one no-vote (and all votes were between 12 and 17 -- that's just solid); Dark Confidant, Phyrexian Arena, Hymn to Tourach each had two no-votes.
* No U20 Repeat: Mind Twist, the only U20 from 2009 in the 5 color groups does not repeat in 2010 after receiving quite a run for the #1 spot from Recurring Nightmare. The difference of 0.7 is the closest between #1 and #2.
* Better Finishers?: Ink-Eyes (#20, 2.8 composite in 2009) cracked the Top 20 last year -- but only received ONE VOTE of 4 (FOUR!) in 2010.
* 55 different cards received a vote.
We had 22 voters total (Tying the record!) -- thanks again to all who voted!
Usman, ep., wtwlf123, DerBK, Shalazar, rantipole, kcolloran, mischief, bondafong, lim_qien, eidolon232, Konfusius, HotShot, Fredo, Aznopium, Archmage, Hicham, TakeABow, yakasoku, Agnillef, Barl, Artificer and Calibretto.
Color Voting Tendencies, Useless Ramblings & Facts (TURF)
* Just missed: Magma Jet (3.2), Greater Gargadon (3.1), Blast From the Past (2.9 -- only 5 votes!), Disentigrate (2.0), Firebolt (1.7)
* Heavy Hitters: Only 3 cards received a vote from all voters: Flametongue Kavu, Lightning Bolt and Siege-Gang Commander.
* At the Top: The Top 5 all repeat with the only change being Banefire and Wheel of Fortune switching slots. Flametongue Kavu strengthened its grasp on the #1 slot with a much higher composite (17.8 in 2009), but still couldn't break into the 19+ category. Lightning Bolt repeated it's ranking AND composite. Siege-Gang Commander repeats rank and has a higher composite by 0.3 in 2010.
* Bi-Polar Award: This one may be justified, but Rolling Earthquake. 8 no-votes, four 20-votes and a low of 8. Apparently, you either know it or you don't.
* Debuts: Goblin Guide (#14), Crater Hellion (#15), Earthquake (#18) and Comet Storm (#20).
* Fall From Grace: Sneak Attack (#9, 7.5 composite in 2009) fell completely out of the Top 20. It only received one vote of 9 in 2010. By far, the biggest fall any Top 20 card from 2009 has taken.
* With a Bullet: Chain Lightning (#19, 3.9 composite in 2009) gained a following. It jumped 8 spots by more than doubling it's previous composite (5.1 increase). Sulfuric Vortex (#10, 7.1 composite in 2009) was a Top 10 card a year ago, and nearly broke into the Top 5 this year by gaining 4 slots on the strength of a 10.3 composite in 2010. Rolling Earthquake (#12, 4.7 composite in 2009) had an indentical climb jumping into the Top 10 by also gaining 4 slots with a composite of 9.3. VERY strong support for these two cards.
* Strengthened?: Avalanche Riders repeats it's slot ranking (#12) from 2009, however it's composite jumped from 4.7 in 2009 to 7.5.
* Flip Side: Starstorm fell 1 slot from 2009, even though it's composite jumped from 6.4 in 2009 to 7.5.
* Sign of the Times: Chandra Nalaar grew in popularity (7.6 composite in 2009, 9.0 in 2010) but DROPPED 2 slots.
* 58 different cards received a vote (STILL a new record! -- Despite my arithmetical struggles)
We had 21 voters total, keeping strong voting through the Color Groups! Thanks to everyone!
Usman, wtwlf123, DerBK, Shalazar, rantipole, kcolloran, mischief, bondafong, lim_qien, eidolon232, Konfusius, HotShot, Fredo, Aznopium, Archmage, Hicham, TakeABow, yakasoku, magicmerl, LittlestMorte and Calibretto
Color Voting Tendencies, Useless Ramblings & Facts (TURF)
* Just Missed: Wall of Blossoms (2.5); Ohran Viper & Kodama of the North Tree (2.0); Lotus Cobra (1.9) and Indrik Stomphowler (1.8).
* Heavy Hitters: 4 cards received a vote from everyone: Eternal Witness, Survival of the Fittest, Regrowth and Garruk Wildspeaker.
* NEW #1: Eternal Witness is the FIRST card to overtake 2009's #1. But let's get interesting: Survival of the Fittest (2009's #1) received the most 20-votes (12) compared to Witness's 6. Witness had five 19-votes and Survival had four. Witness won based on the seven 18-votes it received. Survival had ZERO votes of 18. As a matter of fact, if you take away Survival's 20-votes and 19-votes this is what remains: 8, 10, 10, 11 and 13. (Due to these numbers, and as called to my attention by magicmerl, Survival of the Fittest will also receive the Bi-Polar Award for Green. Thanks, magicmerl!)Survival lost the #1 spot based solely on inconsistency, which is where Witness shined.
* At The Top: 9 of the Top 10 repeat from 2009. See below for what fell from the Top 10. Noble Heirarch was the new Top 10 card.
* HARDCORE Fall From Grace: Rude Awakening (#4, 13.4 composite in 2009) falls completely out of the Top 20 and for 2010, received 6 votes. Without the single vote of 14, all votes were between 1 and 7 resulting in a composite of 1.5 (a change of 11.9). If this doesn't take the 2010 Fall From Grace Award, I don't know what will take it. This totally overshadows the fall of Tooth and Nail (#11, 6.6 comp in 2009; Unranked, 1.5 comp in 2010) and All Suns' Dawn (#15, 5.3 comp in 2009; #20 and 2.6 comp in 2010).
* With a Bullet: Rancor (#17, 4.1 comp in 2009) jumps 4 slots. I should probably include the two rookies here as they did very well...but they'll get their own bullet.
* Smaller Leaps: Birds of Paradise (#10, 6.8 comp in 2009) jumped 2 slots and increased 3.6 composite; Tarmogoyf (#9, 7.7 comp in 2009) also jumped 2 slots and increased 3.4 composite; Genesis (#6, 12.3 comp in 2009) also jumped 2 slots and increased 1.7 composite.
* Increased?: Garruk Wildspeaker increased it's composite (+1.8) but fell one slot (from #2 to #3).
* Rookies: Green had two VERY STRONG debuts: Noble Hierarch (#9, 9.6 comp) and Troll Ascetic (#11, 6.3 comp). While Noble Hierarch's Top 10 Debut is impressive, it misses the precedent set by Baneslayer Angel and Day of Judgment (Tied for #7 in White) for highest ranked debut.
* Life From the Loam only received 9 votes.
* All Suns' Dawn only received 7 votes.
* Plow Under makes the Top 10 despite receiving 6 no-votes.
* 57 different cards received a vote.
We had 19 voters total, falling below 20 for the first time this year!
Usman, wtwlf123, DerBK, Shalazar, rantipole, kcolloran, mischief, bondafong, lim_qien, eidolon232, Konfusius, HotShot, Fredo, Archmage, Hicham, yakasoku, magicmerl, Aznopium and Calibretto
Color Voting Tendencies, Useless Ramblings & Facts (TURF)
* Just Missed: Cursed Scroll (2.1); Grim Monolith (1.6); Mindslaver & Phyrexian Processor (1.5 each) and Ring of Gix (1.4)
* King of Artifacts: Sol Ring repeats as the #1 Artifact, receiving 20-votes from all but one voter.
* Heavy Hitters: Four cards received a vote from all voters: Sol Ring, Umezawa's Jitte, Skullclamp and Sword of Fire & Ice. Interesting that despite Artifact's appeal of quick, cheap mana-producers, that 3 of the 4 unanimous cards are Equipment.
* At The Top: The Top 6 all repeated from 2009. Black Lotus moved up one slot, Skullclamp moved down 2 slots and the Moxes moved down one slot.
* Recognition?: Mox Diamond moved up 2 slots, but practically DOUBLED it's composite from 2009 (5.8).
* Fall From Grace (Not Really): The largest drop from 2009 belongs to Scroll Rack (#9, 6.7 composite). It fell 3 slots, but gained in composite by 0.5 points.
* With A Bullet: Mana Crypt (#19, 4.1 composite in 2009) jumped up 8 slots and gained 3.2 composite points.
* Rookies: 4 cards made their debuts: Winter Orb, Solemn Simulacrum (I know, I quadruple checked; he wasn't on 2009's), Coalition Relic and Tangle Wire.
* Interesting: Black Lotus and Sword of Light & Shadow each received one no-vote. Mox Jewelry and Nevinyrral's Disk each received two no-votes.
* Bi-Polar Award: Mox Diamond. Most votes were between 13 and 17. Solid. It also received three no-votes, 3, 9 and 10. If you know it, you love it. If you don't know it...well, you should.
* Skin of Their Teeth: Tangle Wire and Razorcore each received 7 total votes.
* 47 different cards received a vote.
2-Color We had 18 voters total, our lowest in 2010, but still a strong showing!
Usman, wtwlf123, DerBK, Shalazar, rantipole, kcolloran, mischief, bondafong, eidolon232, Konfusius, HotShot, Fredo, Archmage, yakasoku, magicmerl, Aznopium, Scko and Calibretto
Shard/Wedge & 4+ Color We had 9 (NINE!?) voters total for this added Voting Group
Usman, wtwlf123, DerBK, Shalazar, rantipole, kcolloran, bondafong, HotShot and Calibretto
UW and (U/W)
* At the Top: Grand Arbiter returns as the #1 UW card, increasing the composite by 0.3.
* With a Bullet: Wall of Denial jumps 3 spots and gains 3.1 composite points.
* Fall From Grace: Azorius Guildmage falls 3 slots and loses 2.0 composite points.
* Rookie: Dismantling Blow makes the cut at #10, knocking off Iridescent Angel and Augury Adept.
* Facts: The Top 9 cards all repeated
* 24 cards received a vote.
UB and (U/B)
*At the Top: Oona, Shadowmage Infiltrator and Psychatog all repeat as the Top 3.
* With a Bullet: Nemesis of Reason jumps 2 slots and gains 1.1 composite points
* Fall From Grace: Undermine falls out of the Top 5; 2 slots and 0.7 composite points.
* Rookie: Lim-Dul’s Vault makes the cut at #10.
* Facts: Oona lost 0.5 composite points while SMI remained exactly the same and Psychatog lost 0.1 composite points.
* 19 cards received a vote.
BR and (B/R)
* At the Top: Terminate, Bituminous Blast, Murderous Redcap, Void and Blazing Specter all repeat, in order, as the Top 5.
* With a Bullet: Blightning jumps 4 slots and 2.0 composite points
* Fall From Grace: Shambling Remains (0.3 drop in composite) and Fulminator Mage (0.6 drop in composite) both slid 2 slots
* Rookie: Wrecking Ball debuts at #7
* Facts: Bit Blast and Redcap each jumped 1.0 in composite, Terminate earned the same composite,
* 18 cards received a vote.
RG and (R/G)
* At the Top: Bloodbraid Elf repeats as #1, missed an Unanimous-10 by one vote (9 points).
* With a Bullet: Kird Ape (#10, 1.6 composite) jumped 7 slots and gained 5.4 composite points.
* Fall From Grace: Sarkhan Vol fell 3 slots and lost 1.9 composite points.
* Rookie: Vithian Renegades makes the cut at #10
* Facts: Giant Solifuge lost composite, but gained in rank. Stormbind, Boggart Ram-Gang, Rumbling Slum and Firespout all gained in composite, but Stormbind and Firespout remained in the same slots and Ram-Gang and Slum each dropped.
* 21 cards received a vote.
WG and (W/G)
* At the Top: Kitchen Finks overtakes Mirari’s Wake as the NEW #1.
* With a Bullet: Qasali Pridemage jumps up to #2 (2 slots) and gains 2.1 composite points.
* Fall From Grace: Glare of Subdual and Wilt-Leaf Liege each fell 3 slots
* Rookie: Loam Lion vaults to #4 in his debut. Knight of the Reliquary makes the cut at #10.
* Facts: Knight of the Reliquary is the lowest-composite scored card to make the Top 10 for any 2-color combination (0.9). Loam Lion is the highest ranked rookie/debut card for the 2-color Groups and also received a 10-vote.
* 22 cards received a vote.
WB and (W/B)
* At the Top: Vindicate repeats as the #1 card and missed a Unanimous-10 by 2 votes (both 9 points).
* With a Bullet: Desolation Angel jumped one spot to #2.
* Fall From Grace: Mortify fell one spot to #3
* Rookie: -NONE-
* Facts: The entire Top 10 repeats as the Top 10, nearly slot-for-slot with #2 (Deso Angel) and #3 (Mortify) switching spots.
* 12 cards received a vote.
WR and (W/R)
* At the Top: Ajani Vengeant repeats as #1 and missed a Unanimous 10 by one vote (8 points). Figure of Destiny, Lightning Helix and Brion Stoutarm all roundout the repeated Top 4 with Helix and Figure swapping slots.
* With a Bullet: Duergar Hedge-Mage jumps 3 slots and gains 2.2 composite points; Soltari Guerillas also jump 3 slots and more than double their composite with a gain of 2.3 points.
* Fall From Grace: Firemane Angel (#8, 2.4 composite) fell out of the Top 10
* Rookie: Orim’s Thunder makes the list at #9.
* Facts: Figure of Destiny stole the 10-vote and Lightning Helix stole the 9-vote from Ajani’s run at U-10.
* 18 cards received a vote.
UR and (U/R)
* At the Top: Fire // Ice swamps with Prophetic Bolt to become the NEW #1
* With a Bullet: Izzet Chronarch (#10, 1.7 composite) jumps 3 slots and gains 1.2 composite
* Fall From Grace: Spellbound Dragon falls 2 slots, but gains 0.1 composite points.
* Rookie: -NONE-
* Facts: The entire Top 10 repeats as the Top 10, with minor changes. Call the Skybreaker is the highest-composite scored #10 card.
* 17 cards received a vote.
UG and (U/G)
* At the Top: Simic Sky Swallower repeats as #1 – Mystic Snake, Trygon Predator, Snakeform and Voidslime all repeat as the Top 5 with Voidslime and Snakeform swapping slots.
* With a Bullet: Temporal Spring jumps 2 slots and gains 2.1 composite points.
* Fall From Grace: Jungle Barrier (#10, 1.3 composite) to unranked.
* Rookie: Plaxcaster Frogling ranks in at #10
* Facts: Trygon Predator remained at #3 even though it gained 0.5 composite points.
* 16 cards received a vote.
BG and (B/G)
* At the Top: Pernicious Deed repeats as the #1 card, missing a U-10 by 2 votes (9 points each)
* With a Bullet: Lord of Extinction, Nath of the Gilt-Leaf and Life // Death each gained 1 slot.
* Fall From Grace: Grave-Shell Scarab fell 2 slots and lost 1.5 composite points.
* Rookie: -NONE-
* Facts: The entire Top 10 repeats with the Top 5 completely intact from 2009.
* 15 cards received a vote.
**Multi Group includes: Gold, Hybrid, Split, Gold Split and cards that typically require more than one color to play (e.g. Desolation Angel).
We had 21 voters total! Serious love to everyone who voted in this go-'round...thank you!
Usman, wtwlf123, DerBK, Shalazar, rantipole, kcolloran, mischief, bondafong, Phantizle, eidolon232, Konfusius, HotShot, cuttups, Scko, yakasoku, LittlestMorte, magicmerl, Miscalcul8edRisk, Aznopium, Fredo and Calibretto
Color Voting Tendencies, Useless Ramblings & Facts (TURF)
* Just Missed: Psychatog & Qasali Pridemage (Both at 2.8), Grand Arbiter Augustin IV & Giant Solifuge (Both at 2.4), Mystic Snake & Wall of Denial (Both at 2.1) and Stormbind (2.0).
* At the Top: Pernicious Deed repeats at Multi's Overall #1 card. It gained 1.5 composite points over last year's score. It received seven 20-votes (Vindicate received six). 7 of the Top 10 repeated from 2009 (Mirari's Wake, Psychatog and Figure of Destiny did not).
* Big Hitters: Five cards received votes from all voters: Pernicious Deed, Vindicate, Ajani Vengeant, Bloodbraid Elf and Maelstrom Pulse.
* The Roaring 20's: 6 different cards received a 20-vote: Pernicious Deed, Vindicate, Ajani Vengeant, Bloodbraid Elf, Mirari's Wake and Murderous Redcap.
* Bi-Polar Award: Mirari's Wake. Two 20-votes, one 19-vote, one 17-vote and one 13-vote. Solid. The remaining votes: 6, 5, 4, 4, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1 and seven no-votes.
* Rookie: LOTS of Rookies: #14 Terminate, #15 Simic Sky Swallower, #16 Fire // Ice, #17 Mortify, #18 Murderous Redcap and #20 Bituminous Blast.
* Fall From Grace: A (near) rival to Rude Awakening: Psychatog. In 2009, Tog was #5 with a 12.4 composite. In 2010, Tog missed the Top 20 (tied for #21) and mustered only a 2.8 composite. Tog received 7 total votes: 18, 15, 9, 7, 5, 3 and 1. It's not quite Rude Awakening, but this is the second Top 5 card to fall completely out of it's respective Top 20. Mirari's Wake almost got this award for falling 9 slots and losing 9.1 composite points.
* With a Bullet: Putrefy. Jumped 10 slots and gained 3.4 composite points.
* Big Scorers: Maelstrom Pulse and Desolation Angel both gained 5.4 composite (both gained +4 slots), Ajani Vengeant gained 4.7 composite (+1 slot), Bloodbraid Elf gained 4.6 composite (+2 slots)
* 53 cards received a vote.
We had 17 voters total, falling below 20 for the first time this year!
Usman, wtwlf123, DerBK, Shalazar, rantipole, kcolloran, mischief, bondafong, eidolon232, Konfusius, Fredo, Miscalcul8edRisk, yakasoku, magicmerl, Aznopium, Darkemblem and Calibretto
Color Voting Tendencies, Useless Ramblings & Facts (TURF)
* Just Missed: Raging Ravine (2.7), Lorwyn Vivid Lands (2.5), Ravnica Karoo Lands (2.4), City of Ass (1.9) and Faerie Conclave (1.8).
* Heavy Hitters: 6 cards received a vote from everyone: Library of Alexandria, Strip Mine, Maze of Ith, Volrath's Stronghold, Wasteland and Mishra's Factory
* Repeat #1: Library of Alexandria repeats as Non-Basic Lands' #1 card and is also on the 2nd card in 2010 to receive a Unanimous 20-vote (Ancestral Recall). Library also receives the distinction of being the only card to ever repeat as a U20.
* At The Top: 8 of the Top 10 repeated. Ons/Zen Fetch Lands and Gaea's Cradle fell out of the Top 10.
* Fall From Grace: Gaea's Cradle (#10, 9.8 composite in 2009). Fell 9 slots and lost 6.9 composite points.
* With a Bullet: Grand Coliseum (#20, 2.0 composite in 2009). Skyrocketed 12 slots and gained 7.6 composite points.
* Bi-Polar Award: It's weird, but it's gotta go to City of Brass. Twelve votes of 13+, then votes of 4, 1 and 3 no-votes. Literally to ends of the spectrum.
* Tidbits: Volrath's Stronghold gained 3 slots and 2.8 composite to become a Top 5 NBL. Mishra's Factory (#10, 9.8) jumped to #6 in 2010. Mutavault jumped from #12 (8.2 composite) to #8 (9.6) in 2010.
* Rookies: Creeping Tar Pit (#14) and Celestial Colonnade (#15) crack into the Top 20. A case could be made for Zendikar's Enemy Fetch Lands (#11) -- but they're functional copies of an already strong group.
* 37 different cards received a vote.
We had 18 voters total, thanks to everyone for soldiering on!
Usman, wtwlf123, DerBK, Shalazar, rantipole, kcolloran, mischief, bondafong, eidolon232, Konfusius, Fredo, magicmerl, LittlestMorte, Miscalcul8edRisk, Silent Edge, Darkemblem, cag08055 and Calibretto
Group Voting Tendencies, Useless Ramblings & Facts (TURF)
* Just Missed: Tinker (1.8), Sensei's Divining Top (1.4), Gifts Given (1.3) and Sword of Light and Shadow (1.1)
* Heavy Hitters: 7 cards received a vote from everyone: Library of Alexandria, Sol Ring, Ancestral Recall, Mind Twist, Balance, Umezawa's Jitte and Recurring Nightmare
* Repeat #1: Library of Alexandria once again repeats as the #1 Overall card. It received 12 of 18 20-votes (Sol Ring did receive the other six 20-votes) and six 19-votes. It gained a blistering 0.1 in composite score.
* At The Top: The Top 6 all repeat, in order. Recurring Nightmare jumped 2 slots (Gain of 1.9), Time Walk remained at #8 (Gain of 1.1).
* Fall From Grace: Tied for a 4-slot drop: Skullclamp (#11 and 7.6 composite in 2009, #15 and 3.9 composite in 2010) and Survival of the Fittest (#13 and 7.5 composite in 2009, #17 and 3.3 composite in 2010). Not that dropping in this group is all that bad. Both remained a strong Top 20 Overall card.
* With a Bullet: Mox Diamond. Unranked in 2009 (maybe because of my stupid rule), Diamond shoots and debuts as #13 on the overall Top 20.
* Bi-Polar Award: Sword of Fire & Ice (this was a hard one). High votes of 17, 15, 13 and 13. Low votes of 5, 5, 5, and no vote. Still did well.
And following with the voting process:
- 4
- 13
- 8
- 3
- 2
- 14
:symw::symu::symb::symr::symg: - 3
- 7
* 54 (!) different cards received a vote.
Stuff That Can Be Stated Now That Group Voting Is Over (STCBSNTGVIO)
* U20: Ancestral Recall and Library of Alexandria are the only two cards to receive Unanimous 20-votes.
* Close But No Cigar: Balance (all 20's, three 19-votes), Mind Twist (all 20's, six 19-votes, one 18-vote), Sol Ring (all 20's, one 19-vote) all came closest to a U20 without getting it.
* Highest ranked White Creature - Baneslayer Angel(#7, 12.7)
* Highest ranked White Spell - Balance (#1, 19.9)
* Highest ranked Blue Creature - Meloku, the Clouded Mirror (#8, 8.7)
* Highest ranked Blue Spell - Ancestral Recall (#1, 20.0)
* Highest ranked Black Creature - Dark Confidant (#7, 11.5)
* Highest ranked Black Spell - Mind Twist (#1, 19.6)
* Highest ranked Red Creature - Flametongue Kavu (#1, 18.9)
* Highest ranked Red Spell - Lightning Bolt (#2, 16.7)
* Highest ranked Green Creature - Eternal Witness (#1, 18.4)
* Highest ranked Green Spell - Survival of the Fittest (#2, 17.5)
* Highest ranked Artifact Creature - Masticore (#14, 5.8)
* Highest ranked Artifact Spell - Sol Ring (#1, 19.9)
* Highest ranked Artifact Equipment - Umezawa's Jitte (#2, 17.7)
* Highest ranked Multi Creature - Bloodbraid Elf (#4, 14.9)
* Highest ranked Multi Spell - Pernicious Deed (#1, 18.7)
Participants in ALL Voting Groups:
Usman - wtwlf123 - DerBK - Shalazar - rantipole - kcolloran - bondafong - Calibretto
Discussion in this thread is to be limited to only the results of voting. Specific card discussion is to take place in the voting and discussion thread, once again found Right Here.
Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom: The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray). The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it. The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom: The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray). The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it. The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom: The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray). The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it. The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
I think baneslayer contributed to exalted angel's fall some what.
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I am petitioning for the end of: the Mythic rarity, the Planeswalker card type, the post-8th edition card faces, the 2010 rule changes, colorless cards that aren't artifacts or lands, the Legendary supertype, the stack, auras, multicolor cards, artifact creatures, tokens, goblins, merfolk, elves, sorceries, instants, and permanents. Basically, I just want to play with purple contraptions.
Copy this sig to join the cause. Cuz, ya know, Wizards makes decisions based on sigs.
I think baneslayer contributed to exalted angel's fall some what.
Contributed? That's like saying cocaine played a small role in Lindsay Lohan's (lack of a) career.
Without BSA, Exalted Angel retains the coveted "Best-Overall-White-Creature-in-the-Cube" title and probably cruises to a nice ranking behind some real White powerhouses. BSA is the single reason Exalted fell this year.
Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom: The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray). The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it. The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
I think that Elspeth also played a role in Exalted's fall. A lot of us placed Elspeth much higher than last year and whenever you move something up, something else has to move down.
I overall like how white shook out. I still think Karmic Guide is way nuts, but that's a nitpick.
I think that Elspeth also played a role in Exalted's fall. A lot of us placed Elspeth much higher than last year and whenever you move something up, something else has to move down.
I overall like how white shook out. I still think Karmic Guide is way nuts, but that's a nitpick.
Cheers,
rant
Elspeth was ranked 7th with a 10.9 composite in 2009.
That turned into a 5th with a 13.7 composite in 2010.
Exalted Angel was ranked 6th with an 11.1 composite in 2009.
That turned into an 11th with an 8.4 composite in 2010.
Elspeth improved moderately to strongly, but I think that is going to hold the same for Jace 2.0 next time we do this. I don't think everyone had played with Elspeth enough (at the time) to realize that she is arguably the best Planeswalker in the Cube.
The reason I kept reading during voting was (verbatim), "I would take Baneslayer before Exalted because of <insert reason here>". And it is because BSA is just that nuts. I won't say that BSA was 100% behind Exalted's downturn -- but it can't be less than 95%.
Furthermore, only 3 of 21 voters voted Exalted above Baneslayer. One was an 8-point difference. The other two were 1-point difference. Not to mention, Exalted also had three no-votes.
Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom: The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray). The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it. The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
My mistake then. I didn't realize Elspeth placed highly in the original pool. And, although most people regard BSA as better than Exalted, I fail to see how Exalted is not one of white's 20 best cards. I'd actually go so far as to say Exalted is probably on the 20 best creatures in the cube.
My mistake then. I didn't realize Elspeth placed highly in the original pool. And, although most people regard BSA as better than Exalted, I fail to see how Exalted is not one of white's 20 best cards. I'd actually go so far as to say Exalted is probably on the 20 best creatures in the cube.
Cheers,
rant
Yeah, it was landslide-ish when it came to the effect BSA had on Exalted. Exalted is still ranked #11 in the Power Rankings, which is not awful in the least and still means she'll go P1P1 a lot of times. And there's nothing in the world wrong with that. She is clearly elite when it comes to White's creatures. Baneslayer is probably the better creature in a straight match up, but Baneslayer ranked out at #7. Exalted is only 4 slots behind and at worst, remains White's second best creature.
Without pulling up decklists and whatnot, I would very easily agree that she is one of the Cube's Top 20 creatures without giving a second thought. You're right on the money.
Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom: The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray). The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it. The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom: The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray). The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it. The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
Interesting results, gifts given could have given the top 4 a run for their money if everyone has one!
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I am petitioning for the end of: the Mythic rarity, the Planeswalker card type, the post-8th edition card faces, the 2010 rule changes, colorless cards that aren't artifacts or lands, the Legendary supertype, the stack, auras, multicolor cards, artifact creatures, tokens, goblins, merfolk, elves, sorceries, instants, and permanents. Basically, I just want to play with purple contraptions.
Copy this sig to join the cause. Cuz, ya know, Wizards makes decisions based on sigs.
Sry, if this may sound like a newbie question, but why did everybody give Meloku, the Clouded Mirror so many points? What makes it superior to any other blue finisher (since no other creature made it into the top 20)?
It's a 2/4 that isn't color intensive and makes 1/1's for almost no cost. It survives almost all burn in the cube, beats in for 2 and makes that army of fliers. She can lock down games if played correctly.
This is most likely because we were asked not to vote for cards that we are not too familiar with and not everybody wants to spend 40-50$ for an Un-card. Without that restriction it would most likely ended up in the top 5 region.
Sry, if this may sound like a newbie question, but why did everybody give Meloku, the Clouded Mirror so many points? What makes it superior to any other blue finisher (since no other creature made it into the top 20)?
I agree completely on the Gifts Given theory. I believe if it was in everyone's Cube, it's clearly a Top 5 card.
Meloku ranks out well because of the elite splashability CC. Plus, being able to pony up limitless flying tokens works wonders. My opponent had a North Tree that I couldn't deal with, but it was thanks to 4 lands that I had enough to block and kill it before it killed me. It set me back a couple turns, but I'd rather be behind a couple of turns than dead. Also, Meloku + Skullclamp = all kinds of win. I'll take a Meloku over any other blue creature at P1P1. I'd actually take Keiga over Morphling -- and that just comes down to splashability at P1P1. If it's P2P1 or P3P1 and I'm cleaning into Blue, Morphling leapfrogs (this is not to discount Superman's overall badasstedness).
Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom: The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray). The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it. The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
I'd love to get a Gifts Given to try it out, but it definitely isn't obvious how good it is. Unless I'm misreading it it seems like Jester's Cap + a midlevel draw spell. As far as the actual gifts pile goes, don't you get better cards from a regular gifts ungiven? What am I missing here? Is the Cap effect really that good?
I'd love to get a Gifts Given to try it out, but it definitely isn't obvious how good it is. Unless I'm misreading it it seems like Jester's Cap + a midlevel draw spell. As far as the actual gifts pile goes, don't you get better cards from a regular gifts ungiven? What am I missing here? Is the Cap effect really that good?
It's really more of a "find 4 cards, keep 2 of them for yourself and put the other two in their graveyard". 3U isn't bad for two cards that aren't even yours. They get the pick a la Gifts UNgiven and FoF, but still...that's kind of money...especially as an Instant.
Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom: The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray). The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it. The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
Think about the 4 best cards in your deck, now think you can no longer play with any of them, AND your opponent gets to play 2 of them. Its pretty sick. There is also additional applications in playing powerful card say "glare of subdual" and remove all their answers from their library.
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I am petitioning for the end of: the Mythic rarity, the Planeswalker card type, the post-8th edition card faces, the 2010 rule changes, colorless cards that aren't artifacts or lands, the Legendary supertype, the stack, auras, multicolor cards, artifact creatures, tokens, goblins, merfolk, elves, sorceries, instants, and permanents. Basically, I just want to play with purple contraptions.
Copy this sig to join the cause. Cuz, ya know, Wizards makes decisions based on sigs.
Think about the 4 best cards in your deck, now think you can no longer play with any of them, AND your opponent gets to play 2 of them. Its pretty sick. There is also additional applications in playing powerful card say "glare of subdual" and remove all their answers from their library.
I'm not totally unclear on how it would be good, as I run grinning totem, and it's clearly WAY WAY better than grinning totem.
To people who play with Gifts Given I have some questions:
When you draft gifts given do you just draft mana fixing a lot higher than you usually would? How often do you end up giftsing for cards you can't possibly cast? How often do you end up giftsing for a selection of artifacts and lands even at a cost of lower power cards just so you can play them? And how often do you just go for a specific subset of cards (like say artifact/enchant removal) as opposed to their best overall cards?
The problem for me isn't seeing that it's good, but just how good. It's not like the other blue cards that made the top 20 aren't all quite powerful in their own right. It just feels from the outside somewhere better than a good Sadistic Sacrament but often not as good as gifts ungiven itself.
I'm not totally unclear on how it would be good, as I run grinning totem, and it's clearly WAY WAY better than grinning totem.
To people who play with Gifts Given I have some questions:
When you draft gifts given do you just draft mana fixing a lot higher than you usually would? How often do you end up giftsing for cards you can't possibly cast? How often do you end up giftsing for a selection of artifacts and lands even at a cost of lower power cards just so you can play them? And how often do you just go for a specific subset of cards (like say artifact/enchant removal) as opposed to their best overall cards?
The problem for me isn't seeing that it's good, but just how good. It's not like the other blue cards that made the top 20 aren't all quite powerful in their own right. It just feels from the outside somewhere better than a good Sadistic Sacrament but often not as good as gifts ungiven itself.
It was pretty broken when I played it. If you see it early then you just draft random mana fixing higher so you have a better chance to cast colored spells and you can always grab artifacts & land. Mostly though your opponent probably only has 30 cards or less in their library when you cast this and ripping out their 4 best spells, even if you can't cast them, is usually pretty crippling as now not only do they not have their 4 best spells available, you've thinned their library by 4 spells making it more unlikely that they'll draw land. Jester's Cap isn't an abysmal cube card, I could see it making large cubes, and this is an instant, costs less mana, hits 4 cards and puts 2 of those cards into your hand. And it is foily and has cool art.
It was pretty broken when I played it. If you see it early then you just draft random mana fixing higher so you have a better chance to cast colored spells and you can always grab artifacts & land. Mostly though your opponent probably only has 30 cards or less in their library when you cast this and ripping out their 4 best spells, even if you can't cast them, is usually pretty crippling as now not only do they not have their 4 best spells available, you've thinned their library by 4 spells making it more unlikely that they'll draw land. Jester's Cap isn't an abysmal cube card, I could see it making large cubes, and this is an instant, costs less mana, hits 4 cards and puts 2 of those cards into your hand. And it is foily and has cool art.
This pretty much sums it up. When I draft this card, I will certainly look at dual lands, Signets, and other fixers with a slightly different eye. And you're in really good shape when you're in non-blue colors and can just splash for this card. But that's the thing about Gifts Given, it's so debilitating that you don't even need to be in your opponent's color. Usually they'll have some artifacts you can get, you can always hijack their lands, and even if you rip their 4 best spells from their deck, it was a worthwhile mana investment. Gifts Given is always very strong whenever I see it played, it's one of those cards I simply don't pass and always do my best to squeeze into my deck.
That's He can lock down games. Meloku is a guy, his flavour text says so. OK so he's wearing robes that look suspiciously like a dress, is wearing make-up, and has a rather elaborate hair-do/ears. And he has rather delicate features. And speaks in quite a high pitched, effeminate voice (hold the card really close to your ear). Nobody says anything to his face because he is so badass.
He is my favourite blue creature: I just like how on top of everything else he negates land destruction.
"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less." -Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass
Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom: The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray). The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it. The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
He's my favorite blue creature because of how he...like...wins games.
Ya, all on his own too. Out of nowhere. It's like... I've got the game in hand, and then Meloku happened to me.
God forbid you combine him with Skullclamp or something. He was also awesome with Ob Nix. Gave me lots of extra fuel. Meloku's a scary bastard. One of my least favorite things to see across the table.
This thread will be home to the twice-weekly results of the voting that is taking place Right Here.
These cards are voted on by MTGS members giving their Top 20 cards, in the order they would draft them (At Pack 1, Pick 1). The final numbers posted on this thread are the average of the points assigned to each card (20 points for #1, 19 points for #2 and so on).
Final averages were rounded to their nearest tenth.
Each Group will have the Top 20 cards, a list of the voters as well as the now famous, TURF (Tendencies, Useless Ramblings & Facts). The only group not to have a Top 20 will be the Multi-color/Hybrids. This will be a group of 50 cards, broken down into the Top 5 for each two-color combination.
2 Armageddon - 18.8 (Ravages of War)
3 Land Tax - 17.1
4 Wrath of God - 15.8
5 Elspeth, Knight-Errant - 13.7
6 Swords to Plowshares - 13.2
7 Day of Judgment - 12.7
7 Baneslayer Angel - 12.7
9 Catastrophe - 9.9
10 Path to Exile - 9.7
11 Exalted Angel - 8.4
12 Moat - 6.6
13 Oblivion Ring - 6.0
14 Reveillark - 5.8
15 Mother of Runes - 5.5
16 Decree of Justice - 5.0
17 Faith's Fetters - 4.1
18 Akroma's Vengeance - 3.8
18 Ajani Goldmane - 3.8
20 Martial Coup - 2.2
We had 21 (!) voters total, thanks for the great turnout!
Usman, ep., wtwlf123, DerBK, Shalazar, rantipole, kcolloran, mischief, bondafong, lim_qien, eidolon232, Konfusius, Donald_McDonald, Elgger Cube, Scko, Gurileck, TakeABow, HotShot, Fredo, Hicham and Calibretto.
Color Voting Tendencies, Useless Ramblings & Facts (TURF)
* Just missed: Isamaru, Hound of Konda (2.0) Cloudgoat Ranger (1.9) Karmic Guide (1.6), Academy Rector (1.4), Austere Command (1.1) and Eternal Dragon (1.1)
* Big Hitters: Balance, Armageddon (Ravages of War), Land Tax, Elspeth, Swords to Plowshares, Wrath of God and Baneslayer Angel were to only cards to receive votes from all voters.
* Cream of the Crop: Balance and Armageddon (Ravages of War) were the only two cards to receive votes of 20.
* Consistency: Balance, Armageddon (Ravages of War), Wrath of God and Land Tax all repeat as White's Top 4. Balance and Armageddon both had their composite numbers increase. Wrath of God's composite actually stayed exactly the same. Land Tax's composite increased 1.5 points to jump ahead of Wrath for 2010.
* Other changes: Path to Exile (10.1 in 2009, 9.7 in 2010) and Catastrophe (9.4 in 2009, 9.9 in 2010) swapped spots in 2010.
* Fall From Grace: Exalted Angel (6th to 11th) and Reveillark (8th to 14th) both dropped significantly for 2010.
* Freefall: Eternal Dragon (14th) Isamaru, Hound of Konda (17th), Cataclysm (18th) and Rout (20th) all fell from the 2009 Top 20.
* Bi-Polar Award: Catastrophe. Earned two votes of 18, two votes of 16, four votes of 15 and 3 no-votes.
* Day of Judgment: Despite the pretty heated debate between it and its big brother (Wrath), Day of Judgment actually had 2 no-votes.
* Path to Exile: With exception to a no-vote and a 3-vote, all votes were between 6 and 13.
* Rookies: White's two newest cards, Baneslayer Angel and Day of Judgment both tied for composite score and ranking in their first appearance.
* Veterans: Moat ranks in the Top 20 for the first time. It only received 12 of 21 votes, with a high of 18 and a low of 7 (!!).
* Faith's Fetters never had a vote higher than 9 points.
* Ajani Goldmane had one vote of 11, no other was higher than an 8-vote.
* Martial Coup cracked the Top 20, despite only receiving 9 votes, with a high of 12.
* 44 different cards received a vote.
2 Time Walk - 18.1
3 Mana Drain - 17.2
4 Treachery - 15.6
5 Tinker - 12.3
6 Bribery - 10.5
7 Fact or Fiction - 9.6
8 Meloku, the Clouded Mirror - 8.7
9 Upheaval - 8.5
9 Time Spiral - 8.5
11 Gifts Ungiven - 8.0
12 Jace, the Mind Sculptor - 7.2
13 Force of Will - 7.1
14 Vedalken Shackles - 7.0
15 Forbid - 6.9
16 Future Sight - 5.9
17 Gifts Given - 5.2
18 Control Magic - 4.5
19 Capsize - 3.9
20 Timetwister - 3.8
We had 20 voters total and once again, I'd like to thank them for taking their time to participate.
Usman, ep., wtwlf123, DerBK, Shalazar, rantipole, kcolloran, mischief, bondafong, lim_qien, eidolon232, Konfusius, Donald_McDonald, Elgger Cube, Gurileck, HotShot, Fredo, Aznopium, Archmage & Calibretto
Color Voting Tendencies, Useless Ramblings & Facts (TURF)
* Just Missed: Cryptic Command & Keiga, the Tide Star (Both at 3.6), Morphling (2.8), Mulldrifter (1.7)
* Unanimous #1: Ancestral Recall is our first U20 for 2010.
* Top 4: Ancestral Recall, Time Walk, Mana Drain and Treachery all repeat as Blue's Top 4, in order, with minimal composite changes.
* Big Hitters: Ancestral Recall, Time Walk, Mana Drain, Treachery and Bribery were the only cards to receive votes from all participants. The lowest vote was a 1 to Bribery (and also received a 3-vote, 4-vote, 5-vote AND 6-vote).
* Anomaly: Gifts Given makes the Top 20 despite receiving only 6 votes. Those votes were: 19, 19, 18, 17, 15 and 15. Imagine if everyone had one!
* Bi-Polar Award: Upheaval. Four votes of 16 and 6 no-votes.
* Rookie: Jace, the Mind Scuptor makes his Top 20 debut at #12, receiving 18 of 20 votes, with a high of 16 and a low of 2. It seems we haven't made our mind up on him yet.
* Fall From Grace: Gifts Given fell 6 spots (#11 to #17), Capsize fell 5 spots (From #14 to #19), Timetwister fell 5 spots (#15 to #20), Cryptic Command (#17), Morphling (#18) and Keiga, the Tide Star (#19) all fell out of the Top 20.
* Big Mover: Time Spiral jumped from #16 to #9, with composite change of 5.8 to 8.5. Honorable Mention: Vedalken Shackles jumped from #20 to #14 with a composite change of 3.2 to 7.0.
* MTG's Most Solid Color?: Tinker (+1 slot), Upheaval (-2 slots), Bribery (+2 slots), Fact or Fiction (-3 slots), Meloku (-3 slots), Gifts Ungiven (no change), Force of Will (no change) -- all remained relatively steady.
* Mystery?: Timetwister makes the Top 20 despite 12 of 20 votes with a high of 14 (twice) and a low of 2 (three times).
* 48 different cards received a vote.
2 Recurring Nightmare - 18.9
3 Demonic Tutor - 17.6
4 Bitterblossom - 16.0
5 Vampiric Tutor - 13.8
6 Damnation - 13.7
7 Dark Confidant - 11.5
8 Phyrexian Arena - 11.0
9 Hymn to Tourach - 10.4
10 Kokusho, the Evening Star - 8.2
11 Yawgmoth's Bargain - 6.3
12 Thoughtseize - 6.2
13 Shriekmaw - 6.0
14 Profane Command - 5.8
15 Yawgmoth's Will - 4.8
16 Sorin Markov - 4.7
17 Graveborn Muse - 4.4
18 Imperial Seal - 3.3
19 Barter in Blood - 3.0
20 Liliana Vess - 2.7
We had 22 voters total (A new Power Rankings record!!) -- thank you to everyone!
Usman, ep., wtwlf123, DerBK, Shalazar, rantipole, kcolloran, mischief, bondafong, lim_qien, eidolon232, Konfusius, Jimbobway, Elgger Cube, Gurileck, HotShot, Fredo, Aznopium, Hicham, TakeABow and Calibretto.
Color Voting Tendencies, Useless Ramblings & Facts (TURF)
* Just Missed: Ob Nixilis, the Fallen (2.5), Dark Ritual (2.2), Nether Void (1.9), Braids, Cabal Minion (1.5) and Living Death (1.4).
* Top 10: Black's Top 10 remained largely in tact with some minor shuffling around, the only exception being Yawgmoth's Will falling out of the Top 10 and Kokusho jumping into it.
* Top 6: The Top 6 cards all repeated, with the only change coming in the way of Bitterblossom and Vampiric Tutor switching spots.
* Tough Group to Join: The Top 15 all remained in tact, with the only change being Liliana falling out and Kokusho jumping in.
* Fall From Grace: Yawgmoth's Will (#7, 9.9 composite in 2009) took quite the hit, falling 8 spots. This is mostly from receiving only 50% of the votes. Other than a high of 19 and a low of 1, all other votes were between 5 and 15. I'm also going to give the Bi-Polar Award to Yawg's Will. Liliana Vess (#13, 5.2 composite in 2009) also plunged, a total of 7 spots and barely making this year's Top 20. Liliana had 7 no-votes and all votes were between 1 and 8. It's actually quite amazing she made the Top 20.
* With a Bullet: Kokusho (#17, 4.0 composite in 2009) jumps 7 spots into the Top 10. This is despite 5 no-votes, and votes of: 3, 4, 7, 7 and 8. If you're not running him, you should be. If you're not drafting him, you should be.
* Debuts: We had 4 cards make their Top 20 debut, Sorin Markov, Graveborn Muse, Imperial Seal and Barter in Blood. It's come to realization that Black's Top 10 is probably going to be the hardest to crack, with new cards only being added to spots 16 through 19. This should also make Kokusho's jump that much more impressive.
* Heavy Hitters: Five cards received votes from all participants: Mind Twist, Recurring Nightmare, Demonic Tutor, Bitterblossom and Vampiric Tutor.
* For the Record: Damnation had one no-vote (and all votes were between 12 and 17 -- that's just solid); Dark Confidant, Phyrexian Arena, Hymn to Tourach each had two no-votes.
* No U20 Repeat: Mind Twist, the only U20 from 2009 in the 5 color groups does not repeat in 2010 after receiving quite a run for the #1 spot from Recurring Nightmare. The difference of 0.7 is the closest between #1 and #2.
* Better Finishers?: Ink-Eyes (#20, 2.8 composite in 2009) cracked the Top 20 last year -- but only received ONE VOTE of 4 (FOUR!) in 2010.
* 55 different cards received a vote.
2 Lightning Bolt - 16.7
3 Siege-Gang Commander - 14.8
4 Wheel of Fortune - 13.0
5 Banefire - 10.8
6 Sulfuric Vortex - 10.3
7 Grim Lavamancer - 9.9
8 Rolling Earthquake - 9.3
9 Wildfire - 9.1 (Burning of Xinye)
10 Chandra Nalaar - 9.0
11 Chain Lightning - 8.0
12 Starstorm - 7.5
12 Avalanche Riders - 7.5
14 Goblin Guide - 6.6
15 Crater Hellion - 6.3
16 Incinerate - 5.9
17 Fireball - 5.0
18 Earthquake - 4.3
19 Demonfire - 4.0
20 Comet Storm - 3.9
We had 22 voters total (Tying the record!) -- thanks again to all who voted!
Usman, ep., wtwlf123, DerBK, Shalazar, rantipole, kcolloran, mischief, bondafong, lim_qien, eidolon232, Konfusius, HotShot, Fredo, Aznopium, Archmage, Hicham, TakeABow, yakasoku, Agnillef, Barl, Artificer and Calibretto.
Color Voting Tendencies, Useless Ramblings & Facts (TURF)
* Just missed: Magma Jet (3.2), Greater Gargadon (3.1), Blast From the Past (2.9 -- only 5 votes!), Disentigrate (2.0), Firebolt (1.7)
* Heavy Hitters: Only 3 cards received a vote from all voters: Flametongue Kavu, Lightning Bolt and Siege-Gang Commander.
* At the Top: The Top 5 all repeat with the only change being Banefire and Wheel of Fortune switching slots. Flametongue Kavu strengthened its grasp on the #1 slot with a much higher composite (17.8 in 2009), but still couldn't break into the 19+ category. Lightning Bolt repeated it's ranking AND composite. Siege-Gang Commander repeats rank and has a higher composite by 0.3 in 2010.
* Bi-Polar Award: This one may be justified, but Rolling Earthquake. 8 no-votes, four 20-votes and a low of 8. Apparently, you either know it or you don't.
* Debuts: Goblin Guide (#14), Crater Hellion (#15), Earthquake (#18) and Comet Storm (#20).
* Fall From Grace: Sneak Attack (#9, 7.5 composite in 2009) fell completely out of the Top 20. It only received one vote of 9 in 2010. By far, the biggest fall any Top 20 card from 2009 has taken.
* With a Bullet: Chain Lightning (#19, 3.9 composite in 2009) gained a following. It jumped 8 spots by more than doubling it's previous composite (5.1 increase). Sulfuric Vortex (#10, 7.1 composite in 2009) was a Top 10 card a year ago, and nearly broke into the Top 5 this year by gaining 4 slots on the strength of a 10.3 composite in 2010. Rolling Earthquake (#12, 4.7 composite in 2009) had an indentical climb jumping into the Top 10 by also gaining 4 slots with a composite of 9.3. VERY strong support for these two cards.
* Strengthened?: Avalanche Riders repeats it's slot ranking (#12) from 2009, however it's composite jumped from 4.7 in 2009 to 7.5.
* Flip Side: Starstorm fell 1 slot from 2009, even though it's composite jumped from 6.4 in 2009 to 7.5.
* Sign of the Times: Chandra Nalaar grew in popularity (7.6 composite in 2009, 9.0 in 2010) but DROPPED 2 slots.
* 58 different cards received a vote (STILL a new record! -- Despite my arithmetical struggles)
2 Survival of the Fittest - 17.5
3 Garruk Wildspeaker - 17.3
4 Genesis - 14.0
5 Regrowth - 13.8
5 Sylvan Library - 13.8
7 Tarmogoyf - 11.1
8 Birds of Paradise - 10.4
9 Noble Hierarch - 9.6
10 Plow Under - 7.9
11 Troll Ascetic - 6.3
12 Deranged Hermit - 5.8
13 Rancor - 5.0
14 Life From the Loam - 4.8
15 Krosan Tusker - 4.3
16 Sakura-Tribe Elder - 4.1
17 Harmonize - 3.7
18 Chameleon Colossus - 3.4
19 Blastoderm - 3.1
20 All Suns' Dawn - 2.6
We had 21 voters total, keeping strong voting through the Color Groups! Thanks to everyone!
Usman, wtwlf123, DerBK, Shalazar, rantipole, kcolloran, mischief, bondafong, lim_qien, eidolon232, Konfusius, HotShot, Fredo, Aznopium, Archmage, Hicham, TakeABow, yakasoku, magicmerl, LittlestMorte and Calibretto
Color Voting Tendencies, Useless Ramblings & Facts (TURF)
* Just Missed: Wall of Blossoms (2.5); Ohran Viper & Kodama of the North Tree (2.0); Lotus Cobra (1.9) and Indrik Stomphowler (1.8).
* Heavy Hitters: 4 cards received a vote from everyone: Eternal Witness, Survival of the Fittest, Regrowth and Garruk Wildspeaker.
* NEW #1: Eternal Witness is the FIRST card to overtake 2009's #1. But let's get interesting: Survival of the Fittest (2009's #1) received the most 20-votes (12) compared to Witness's 6. Witness had five 19-votes and Survival had four. Witness won based on the seven 18-votes it received. Survival had ZERO votes of 18. As a matter of fact, if you take away Survival's 20-votes and 19-votes this is what remains: 8, 10, 10, 11 and 13. (Due to these numbers, and as called to my attention by magicmerl, Survival of the Fittest will also receive the Bi-Polar Award for Green. Thanks, magicmerl!)Survival lost the #1 spot based solely on inconsistency, which is where Witness shined.
* At The Top: 9 of the Top 10 repeat from 2009. See below for what fell from the Top 10. Noble Heirarch was the new Top 10 card.
* HARDCORE Fall From Grace: Rude Awakening (#4, 13.4 composite in 2009) falls completely out of the Top 20 and for 2010, received 6 votes. Without the single vote of 14, all votes were between 1 and 7 resulting in a composite of 1.5 (a change of 11.9). If this doesn't take the 2010 Fall From Grace Award, I don't know what will take it. This totally overshadows the fall of Tooth and Nail (#11, 6.6 comp in 2009; Unranked, 1.5 comp in 2010) and All Suns' Dawn (#15, 5.3 comp in 2009; #20 and 2.6 comp in 2010).
* With a Bullet: Rancor (#17, 4.1 comp in 2009) jumps 4 slots. I should probably include the two rookies here as they did very well...but they'll get their own bullet.
* Smaller Leaps: Birds of Paradise (#10, 6.8 comp in 2009) jumped 2 slots and increased 3.6 composite; Tarmogoyf (#9, 7.7 comp in 2009) also jumped 2 slots and increased 3.4 composite; Genesis (#6, 12.3 comp in 2009) also jumped 2 slots and increased 1.7 composite.
* Increased?: Garruk Wildspeaker increased it's composite (+1.8) but fell one slot (from #2 to #3).
* Rookies: Green had two VERY STRONG debuts: Noble Hierarch (#9, 9.6 comp) and Troll Ascetic (#11, 6.3 comp). While Noble Hierarch's Top 10 Debut is impressive, it misses the precedent set by Baneslayer Angel and Day of Judgment (Tied for #7 in White) for highest ranked debut.
* Life From the Loam only received 9 votes.
* All Suns' Dawn only received 7 votes.
* Plow Under makes the Top 10 despite receiving 6 no-votes.
* 57 different cards received a vote.
2 Umezawa's Jitte - 17.7
3 Black Lotus - 16.1
3 Sword of Fire and Ice - 16.1
5 ABU Mox Jewelry - 14.0
6 Skullclamp - 13.8
7 Sword of Light and Shadow - 11.4
8 Mox Diamond - 11.1
9 Sensei's Divining Top - 8.8
10 Mana Vault - 7.4
11 Mana Crypt - 7.3
12 Scroll Rack - 7.2
13 Nevinyrral's Disk - 6.1
14 Masticore - 5.8
15 Winter Orb - 4.7
16 Loxodon Warhammer - 4.6
17 Icy Manipulator - 4.1
18 Solemn Simulacrum - 4.0
17 Coalition Relic - 3.9
20 Duplicant - 2.3
20 Tangle Wire - 2.3
20 Razormane Masticore - 2.3
We had 19 voters total, falling below 20 for the first time this year!
Usman, wtwlf123, DerBK, Shalazar, rantipole, kcolloran, mischief, bondafong, lim_qien, eidolon232, Konfusius, HotShot, Fredo, Archmage, Hicham, yakasoku, magicmerl, Aznopium and Calibretto
Color Voting Tendencies, Useless Ramblings & Facts (TURF)
* Just Missed: Cursed Scroll (2.1); Grim Monolith (1.6); Mindslaver & Phyrexian Processor (1.5 each) and Ring of Gix (1.4)
* King of Artifacts: Sol Ring repeats as the #1 Artifact, receiving 20-votes from all but one voter.
* Heavy Hitters: Four cards received a vote from all voters: Sol Ring, Umezawa's Jitte, Skullclamp and Sword of Fire & Ice. Interesting that despite Artifact's appeal of quick, cheap mana-producers, that 3 of the 4 unanimous cards are Equipment.
* At The Top: The Top 6 all repeated from 2009. Black Lotus moved up one slot, Skullclamp moved down 2 slots and the Moxes moved down one slot.
* Recognition?: Mox Diamond moved up 2 slots, but practically DOUBLED it's composite from 2009 (5.8).
* Fall From Grace (Not Really): The largest drop from 2009 belongs to Scroll Rack (#9, 6.7 composite). It fell 3 slots, but gained in composite by 0.5 points.
* With A Bullet: Mana Crypt (#19, 4.1 composite in 2009) jumped up 8 slots and gained 3.2 composite points.
* Rookies: 4 cards made their debuts: Winter Orb, Solemn Simulacrum (I know, I quadruple checked; he wasn't on 2009's), Coalition Relic and Tangle Wire.
* Interesting: Black Lotus and Sword of Light & Shadow each received one no-vote. Mox Jewelry and Nevinyrral's Disk each received two no-votes.
* Bi-Polar Award: Mox Diamond. Most votes were between 13 and 17. Solid. It also received three no-votes, 3, 9 and 10. If you know it, you love it. If you don't know it...well, you should.
* Skin of Their Teeth: Tangle Wire and Razorcore each received 7 total votes.
* 47 different cards received a vote.
UW & (U/W)
2 Wall of Denial - 8.5
3 Absorb - 6.8
4 Teferi's Moat - 5.6
5 Plumeveil - 5.0
6 Momentary Blink - 4.5
7 Azorius Guildmage - 4.0
8 Court Hussar - 2.7
9 Swans of Bryn Argoll - 2.1
10 Dismantling Blow - 1.3
UB & (U/B)
2 Shadowmage Infiltrator - 8.4
3 Psychatog - 7.6
4 Recoil - 6.0
5 Agony Warp - 5.2
6 Undermine - 4.4
7 Nemesis of Reason - 4.0
8 Soul Manipulation - 2.7
9 Wydwen, the Biting Gale - 2.5
10 Lim-Dul's Vault - 1.6
BR & (B/R)
2 Bituminous Blast - 7.8
3 Murderous Redcap - 7.7
4 Void - 7.3
5 Blazing Specter - 5.4
6 Blightning - 3.9
7 Wrecking Ball - 3.4
8 Shambling Remains - 3.1
9 Fulminator Mage - 2.3
10 Ashenmoor Gouger - 1.3
RG & (R/G)
2 Giant Solifuge - 7.5
3 Kird Ape - 7.0
4 Stormbind - 6.4
5 Sarkhan Vol - 6.3
6 Boggart Ram-Gang - 5.1
7 Firespout - 2.9
8 Rumbling Slum - 2.3
9 Burning Tree-Shaman - 1.6
10 Vithian Renegades - 1.3
WG & (W/G)
2 Qasali Pridemage - 8.4
3 Mirari's Wake - 8.1
4 Loam Lion - 6.2
5 Loxodon Hierarch - 6.1
6 Behemoth Sledge - 3.8
7 Glare of Subdual - 3.6
8 Armadillo Cloak - 3.0
9 Wilt-Leaf Liege - 2.4
10 Knight of the Reliquary - 0.9
WB & (W/B)
2 Desolation Angel - 8.5
3 Mortify - 8.3
4 Stillmoon Cavalier - 6.4
5 Debtors' Knell - 5.6
6 Tidehollow Sculler - 4.2
7 Angel of Despair - 3.9
8 Death Grasp - 2.8
9 Unmake - 2.4
10 Gerrard's Verdict - 2.3
WR & (W/R)
2 Lightning Helix - 8.7
3 Figure of Destiny - 8.4
4 Brion Stoutarm - 5.4
4 Duergar Hedge-Mage - 5.4
6 Goblin Trenches - 4.9
7 Soltari Guerillas - 3.7
8 Goblin Legionnaire - 2.5
9 Orim's Thunder - 1.7
10 Spitemare - 1.6
UR & (U/R)
2 Prophetic Bolt - 8.8
3 Electrolyze - 8.4
4 Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind - 6.2
5 Gelectrode - 5.4
6 Suffocating Blast - 3.4
7 Izzet Chronarch - 2.9
8 Nucklavee - 2.7
8 Spellbound Dragon - 2.7
10 Call the Skybreaker - 2.2
UG & (U/G)
2 Mystic Snake - 8.7
3 Trygon Predator - 8.3
4 Voidslime - 5.3
5 Snakeform - 5.2
6 Temporal Spring - 5.0
7 Spitting Image - 4.6
8 Lorescale Coatl - 3.5
9 Coiling Oracle - 2.2
10 Plaxcaster Frogling - 1.1
BG & (B/G)
2 Maelstrom Pulse - 9.0
3 Putrefy - 7.8
4 Spiritmonger - 7.1
5 Putrid Leech - 5.8
6 Lord of Extinction - 3.7
7 Creakwood Liege - 3.5
8 Nath of the Gilt-Leaf
9 Life // Death - 2.3
10 Grave-Shell Scarab - 1.4
*Note: 1st slot = 5 points, 2nd slot = 3 points; 3rd slot = 1 point
Grixis - :symu::symb::symr:
2 Thraximundar - 1.7
3 Slave of Bolas - 0.9
Naya - :symw::symr::symg:
2 Thornscape Battlemage - 2.0
3 Woolly Thoctar - 1.0
Esper - :symw::symu::symb:
2 Sen Triplets - 1.4
3 Sharuum the Hegemon - 1.1
3 Dromar's Charm - 1.1
Jund - :symb::symr::symg:
2 Hellkite Overlord - 2.0
3 Lavalanche - 0.7
Bant - :symw::symu::symg:
2 Empyrial Archangel - 2.8
3 Bant Charm - 0.9
:symw::symb::symg:
2 Doran, the Siege Tower - 2.9
:symu::symb::symg:
2 Anavolver - 2.0
:symw::symu::symr:
2 Numot, the Devestator - 2.6
:symw::symb::symr:
2 Hide // Seek - 2.8
:symu::symr::symg:
2 Research // Development - 2.3
WUBRG
2 Who // What // Where // When // Why - 2.4
3 Progenitus - 1.9
4 Maelstrom Archangel - 1.8
5 Etched Oracle - 1.2
2-Color
We had 18 voters total, our lowest in 2010, but still a strong showing!
Usman, wtwlf123, DerBK, Shalazar, rantipole, kcolloran, mischief, bondafong, eidolon232, Konfusius, HotShot, Fredo, Archmage, yakasoku, magicmerl, Aznopium, Scko and Calibretto
Shard/Wedge & 4+ Color
We had 9 (NINE!?) voters total for this added Voting Group
Usman, wtwlf123, DerBK, Shalazar, rantipole, kcolloran, bondafong, HotShot and Calibretto
Color Voting Tendencies, Useless Ramblings & Facts (TURF)
* Just Missed: Iridescent Angel (WU – 1.2); Deft Duelist (WU – 1.0); Moroii (UB – 1.0); Frenetic Efreet (UR – 1.6); Fires of Yavimaya (RG – 1.1); Firemane Angel (RW – 1.1)
UW and (U/W)
* At the Top: Grand Arbiter returns as the #1 UW card, increasing the composite by 0.3.
* With a Bullet: Wall of Denial jumps 3 spots and gains 3.1 composite points.
* Fall From Grace: Azorius Guildmage falls 3 slots and loses 2.0 composite points.
* Rookie: Dismantling Blow makes the cut at #10, knocking off Iridescent Angel and Augury Adept.
* Facts: The Top 9 cards all repeated
* 24 cards received a vote.
UB and (U/B)
*At the Top: Oona, Shadowmage Infiltrator and Psychatog all repeat as the Top 3.
* With a Bullet: Nemesis of Reason jumps 2 slots and gains 1.1 composite points
* Fall From Grace: Undermine falls out of the Top 5; 2 slots and 0.7 composite points.
* Rookie: Lim-Dul’s Vault makes the cut at #10.
* Facts: Oona lost 0.5 composite points while SMI remained exactly the same and Psychatog lost 0.1 composite points.
* 19 cards received a vote.
BR and (B/R)
* At the Top: Terminate, Bituminous Blast, Murderous Redcap, Void and Blazing Specter all repeat, in order, as the Top 5.
* With a Bullet: Blightning jumps 4 slots and 2.0 composite points
* Fall From Grace: Shambling Remains (0.3 drop in composite) and Fulminator Mage (0.6 drop in composite) both slid 2 slots
* Rookie: Wrecking Ball debuts at #7
* Facts: Bit Blast and Redcap each jumped 1.0 in composite, Terminate earned the same composite,
* 18 cards received a vote.
RG and (R/G)
* At the Top: Bloodbraid Elf repeats as #1, missed an Unanimous-10 by one vote (9 points).
* With a Bullet: Kird Ape (#10, 1.6 composite) jumped 7 slots and gained 5.4 composite points.
* Fall From Grace: Sarkhan Vol fell 3 slots and lost 1.9 composite points.
* Rookie: Vithian Renegades makes the cut at #10
* Facts: Giant Solifuge lost composite, but gained in rank. Stormbind, Boggart Ram-Gang, Rumbling Slum and Firespout all gained in composite, but Stormbind and Firespout remained in the same slots and Ram-Gang and Slum each dropped.
* 21 cards received a vote.
WG and (W/G)
* At the Top: Kitchen Finks overtakes Mirari’s Wake as the NEW #1.
* With a Bullet: Qasali Pridemage jumps up to #2 (2 slots) and gains 2.1 composite points.
* Fall From Grace: Glare of Subdual and Wilt-Leaf Liege each fell 3 slots
* Rookie: Loam Lion vaults to #4 in his debut. Knight of the Reliquary makes the cut at #10.
* Facts: Knight of the Reliquary is the lowest-composite scored card to make the Top 10 for any 2-color combination (0.9). Loam Lion is the highest ranked rookie/debut card for the 2-color Groups and also received a 10-vote.
* 22 cards received a vote.
WB and (W/B)
* At the Top: Vindicate repeats as the #1 card and missed a Unanimous-10 by 2 votes (both 9 points).
* With a Bullet: Desolation Angel jumped one spot to #2.
* Fall From Grace: Mortify fell one spot to #3
* Rookie: -NONE-
* Facts: The entire Top 10 repeats as the Top 10, nearly slot-for-slot with #2 (Deso Angel) and #3 (Mortify) switching spots.
* 12 cards received a vote.
WR and (W/R)
* At the Top: Ajani Vengeant repeats as #1 and missed a Unanimous 10 by one vote (8 points). Figure of Destiny, Lightning Helix and Brion Stoutarm all roundout the repeated Top 4 with Helix and Figure swapping slots.
* With a Bullet: Duergar Hedge-Mage jumps 3 slots and gains 2.2 composite points; Soltari Guerillas also jump 3 slots and more than double their composite with a gain of 2.3 points.
* Fall From Grace: Firemane Angel (#8, 2.4 composite) fell out of the Top 10
* Rookie: Orim’s Thunder makes the list at #9.
* Facts: Figure of Destiny stole the 10-vote and Lightning Helix stole the 9-vote from Ajani’s run at U-10.
* 18 cards received a vote.
UR and (U/R)
* At the Top: Fire // Ice swamps with Prophetic Bolt to become the NEW #1
* With a Bullet: Izzet Chronarch (#10, 1.7 composite) jumps 3 slots and gains 1.2 composite
* Fall From Grace: Spellbound Dragon falls 2 slots, but gains 0.1 composite points.
* Rookie: -NONE-
* Facts: The entire Top 10 repeats as the Top 10, with minor changes. Call the Skybreaker is the highest-composite scored #10 card.
* 17 cards received a vote.
UG and (U/G)
* At the Top: Simic Sky Swallower repeats as #1 – Mystic Snake, Trygon Predator, Snakeform and Voidslime all repeat as the Top 5 with Voidslime and Snakeform swapping slots.
* With a Bullet: Temporal Spring jumps 2 slots and gains 2.1 composite points.
* Fall From Grace: Jungle Barrier (#10, 1.3 composite) to unranked.
* Rookie: Plaxcaster Frogling ranks in at #10
* Facts: Trygon Predator remained at #3 even though it gained 0.5 composite points.
* 16 cards received a vote.
BG and (B/G)
* At the Top: Pernicious Deed repeats as the #1 card, missing a U-10 by 2 votes (9 points each)
* With a Bullet: Lord of Extinction, Nath of the Gilt-Leaf and Life // Death each gained 1 slot.
* Fall From Grace: Grave-Shell Scarab fell 2 slots and lost 1.5 composite points.
* Rookie: -NONE-
* Facts: The entire Top 10 repeats with the Top 5 completely intact from 2009.
* 15 cards received a vote.
**Multi Group includes: Gold, Hybrid, Split, Gold Split and cards that typically require more than one color to play (e.g. Desolation Angel).
2 Vindicate - 18.1
3 Ajani Vengeant - 17.5
4 Bloodbraid Elf - 14.9
5 Maelstrom Pulse - 14.3
6 Desolation Angel - 13.2
7 Kitchen Finks - 9.7
8 Oona, Queen of the Fae - 8.6
9 Lightning Helix - 6.6
10 Shadowmage Infiltrator - 6.4
10 Putrefy - 6.4
12 Figure of Destiny - 5.5
12 Mirari's Wake - 5.5
14 Terminate - 5.3
15 Simic Sky Swallower - 5.0
16 Fire // Ice - 4.5
17 Mortify - 4.1
18 Murderous Redcap - 3.9
19 Prophetic Bolt - 3.6
20 Bituminous Blast - 3.3
We had 21 voters total! Serious love to everyone who voted in this go-'round...thank you!
Usman, wtwlf123, DerBK, Shalazar, rantipole, kcolloran, mischief, bondafong, Phantizle, eidolon232, Konfusius, HotShot, cuttups, Scko, yakasoku, LittlestMorte, magicmerl, Miscalcul8edRisk, Aznopium, Fredo and Calibretto
Color Voting Tendencies, Useless Ramblings & Facts (TURF)
* Just Missed: Psychatog & Qasali Pridemage (Both at 2.8), Grand Arbiter Augustin IV & Giant Solifuge (Both at 2.4), Mystic Snake & Wall of Denial (Both at 2.1) and Stormbind (2.0).
* At the Top: Pernicious Deed repeats at Multi's Overall #1 card. It gained 1.5 composite points over last year's score. It received seven 20-votes (Vindicate received six). 7 of the Top 10 repeated from 2009 (Mirari's Wake, Psychatog and Figure of Destiny did not).
* Big Hitters: Five cards received votes from all voters: Pernicious Deed, Vindicate, Ajani Vengeant, Bloodbraid Elf and Maelstrom Pulse.
* The Roaring 20's: 6 different cards received a 20-vote: Pernicious Deed, Vindicate, Ajani Vengeant, Bloodbraid Elf, Mirari's Wake and Murderous Redcap.
* Bi-Polar Award: Mirari's Wake. Two 20-votes, one 19-vote, one 17-vote and one 13-vote. Solid. The remaining votes: 6, 5, 4, 4, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1 and seven no-votes.
* Rookie: LOTS of Rookies: #14 Terminate, #15 Simic Sky Swallower, #16 Fire // Ice, #17 Mortify, #18 Murderous Redcap and #20 Bituminous Blast.
* Fall From Grace: A (near) rival to Rude Awakening: Psychatog. In 2009, Tog was #5 with a 12.4 composite. In 2010, Tog missed the Top 20 (tied for #21) and mustered only a 2.8 composite. Tog received 7 total votes: 18, 15, 9, 7, 5, 3 and 1. It's not quite Rude Awakening, but this is the second Top 5 card to fall completely out of it's respective Top 20. Mirari's Wake almost got this award for falling 9 slots and losing 9.1 composite points.
* With a Bullet: Putrefy. Jumped 10 slots and gained 3.4 composite points.
* Big Scorers: Maelstrom Pulse and Desolation Angel both gained 5.4 composite (both gained +4 slots), Ajani Vengeant gained 4.7 composite (+1 slot), Bloodbraid Elf gained 4.6 composite (+2 slots)
* 53 cards received a vote.
2 Strip Mine - 17.9
3 Maze of Ith - 16.7
4 Volrath's Stronghold - 15.3
5 Wasteland - 14.1
6 Mishra's Factory - 12.6
7 City of Brass - 11.7
8 Grand Coliseum - 9.6
8 Mutavault - 9.6
10 ABU Dual Lands - 8.9
11 Onslaught/Zendikar Fetch Lands - 8.8
12 Shelldock Isle - 7.6
13 Treetop Village - 7.4
14 Creeping Tar Pit - 6.8
15 Celestial Colonnade - 6.0
16 Ravnica Shock Lands - 5.6
17 Rishadan Port - 3.8
18 Kjeldoran Outpost - 3.1
19 Gaea's Cradle - 2.9
20 Tolarian Academy - 2.8
We had 17 voters total, falling below 20 for the first time this year!
Usman, wtwlf123, DerBK, Shalazar, rantipole, kcolloran, mischief, bondafong, eidolon232, Konfusius, Fredo, Miscalcul8edRisk, yakasoku, magicmerl, Aznopium, Darkemblem and Calibretto
Color Voting Tendencies, Useless Ramblings & Facts (TURF)
* Just Missed: Raging Ravine (2.7), Lorwyn Vivid Lands (2.5), Ravnica Karoo Lands (2.4), City of Ass (1.9) and Faerie Conclave (1.8).
* Heavy Hitters: 6 cards received a vote from everyone: Library of Alexandria, Strip Mine, Maze of Ith, Volrath's Stronghold, Wasteland and Mishra's Factory
* Repeat #1: Library of Alexandria repeats as Non-Basic Lands' #1 card and is also on the 2nd card in 2010 to receive a Unanimous 20-vote (Ancestral Recall). Library also receives the distinction of being the only card to ever repeat as a U20.
* At The Top: 8 of the Top 10 repeated. Ons/Zen Fetch Lands and Gaea's Cradle fell out of the Top 10.
* Fall From Grace: Gaea's Cradle (#10, 9.8 composite in 2009). Fell 9 slots and lost 6.9 composite points.
* With a Bullet: Grand Coliseum (#20, 2.0 composite in 2009). Skyrocketed 12 slots and gained 7.6 composite points.
* Bi-Polar Award: It's weird, but it's gotta go to City of Brass. Twelve votes of 13+, then votes of 4, 1 and 3 no-votes. Literally to ends of the spectrum.
* Tidbits: Volrath's Stronghold gained 3 slots and 2.8 composite to become a Top 5 NBL. Mishra's Factory (#10, 9.8) jumped to #6 in 2010. Mutavault jumped from #12 (8.2 composite) to #8 (9.6) in 2010.
* Rookies: Creeping Tar Pit (#14) and Celestial Colonnade (#15) crack into the Top 20. A case could be made for Zendikar's Enemy Fetch Lands (#11) -- but they're functional copies of an already strong group.
* 37 different cards received a vote.
2 Sol Ring - 19.2
3 Ancestral Recall - 17.7
4 Mind Twist - 15.4
5 Umezawa's Jitte - 13.9
6 Balance - 13.6
7 Recurring Nightmare - 12.6
8 Time Walk - 12.1
9 Black Lotus - 10.7
10 Armageddon - 10.0 (Ravages of War)
11 Sword of Fire & Ice - 9.2
12 ABU Moxen - 8.7
13 Mox Diamond - 6.4
14 Mana Drain - 4.8
15 Skullclamp - 3.9
16 Demonic Tutor - 3.8
17 Survival of the Fittest - 3.3
18 Strip Mine - 2.7
19 Treachery - 2.6
20 Mana Crypt - 1.9
We had 18 voters total, thanks to everyone for soldiering on!
Usman, wtwlf123, DerBK, Shalazar, rantipole, kcolloran, mischief, bondafong, eidolon232, Konfusius, Fredo, magicmerl, LittlestMorte, Miscalcul8edRisk, Silent Edge, Darkemblem, cag08055 and Calibretto
Group Voting Tendencies, Useless Ramblings & Facts (TURF)
* Just Missed: Tinker (1.8), Sensei's Divining Top (1.4), Gifts Given (1.3) and Sword of Light and Shadow (1.1)
* Heavy Hitters: 7 cards received a vote from everyone: Library of Alexandria, Sol Ring, Ancestral Recall, Mind Twist, Balance, Umezawa's Jitte and Recurring Nightmare
* Repeat #1: Library of Alexandria once again repeats as the #1 Overall card. It received 12 of 18 20-votes (Sol Ring did receive the other six 20-votes) and six 19-votes. It gained a blistering 0.1 in composite score.
* At The Top: The Top 6 all repeat, in order. Recurring Nightmare jumped 2 slots (Gain of 1.9), Time Walk remained at #8 (Gain of 1.1).
* Fall From Grace: Tied for a 4-slot drop: Skullclamp (#11 and 7.6 composite in 2009, #15 and 3.9 composite in 2010) and Survival of the Fittest (#13 and 7.5 composite in 2009, #17 and 3.3 composite in 2010). Not that dropping in this group is all that bad. Both remained a strong Top 20 Overall card.
* With a Bullet: Mox Diamond. Unranked in 2009 (maybe because of my stupid rule), Diamond shoots and debuts as #13 on the overall Top 20.
* Bi-Polar Award: Sword of Fire & Ice (this was a hard one). High votes of 17, 15, 13 and 13. Low votes of 5, 5, 5, and no vote. Still did well.
And following with the voting process:
- 4
- 13
- 8
- 3
- 2
- 14
:symw::symu::symb::symr::symg: - 3
- 7
* 54 (!) different cards received a vote.
Stuff That Can Be Stated Now That Group Voting Is Over (STCBSNTGVIO)
* U20: Ancestral Recall and Library of Alexandria are the only two cards to receive Unanimous 20-votes.
* Close But No Cigar: Balance (all 20's, three 19-votes), Mind Twist (all 20's, six 19-votes, one 18-vote), Sol Ring (all 20's, one 19-vote) all came closest to a U20 without getting it.
Numbers game:
* Highest Composite for a #2 Card: Recurring Nightmare (18.9)
* Highest Composite for a #10 Card: Path to Exile (9.7)
* Highest Composite for a #20 Card: Comet Storm (3.9)
* Highest Composite for an unranked Card: Cryptic Command & Keiga, the Tider Star (3.6)
* Highest Ranking for a single-digit Composite: #7: Fact or Fiction (9.6), Grim Lavamancer (9.9) and Kitchen Finks (9.7)
* Lowest Composite for a #1 Card: Eternal Witness (18.4)
* Lowest Composite for a #2 Card: Lightning Bolt (16.7)
* Lowest Composite for a #10 Card: Shadowmage Infiltrator & Putrefy (6.4)
* Lowest Composite for a #20 Card: Martial Coup (2.2)
* Lowest Ranking for a double-digit Composite: Hymn to Tourach (#9, 10.4 Composite)
* Highest ranked White Creature - Baneslayer Angel(#7, 12.7)
* Highest ranked White Spell - Balance (#1, 19.9)
* Highest ranked Blue Creature - Meloku, the Clouded Mirror (#8, 8.7)
* Highest ranked Blue Spell - Ancestral Recall (#1, 20.0)
* Highest ranked Black Creature - Dark Confidant (#7, 11.5)
* Highest ranked Black Spell - Mind Twist (#1, 19.6)
* Highest ranked Red Creature - Flametongue Kavu (#1, 18.9)
* Highest ranked Red Spell - Lightning Bolt (#2, 16.7)
* Highest ranked Green Creature - Eternal Witness (#1, 18.4)
* Highest ranked Green Spell - Survival of the Fittest (#2, 17.5)
* Highest ranked Artifact Creature - Masticore (#14, 5.8)
* Highest ranked Artifact Spell - Sol Ring (#1, 19.9)
* Highest ranked Artifact Equipment - Umezawa's Jitte (#2, 17.7)
* Highest ranked Multi Creature - Bloodbraid Elf (#4, 14.9)
* Highest ranked Multi Spell - Pernicious Deed (#1, 18.7)
Participants in ALL Voting Groups:
Usman - wtwlf123 - DerBK - Shalazar - rantipole - kcolloran - bondafong - Calibretto
Discussion in this thread is to be limited to only the results of voting. Specific card discussion is to take place in the voting and discussion thread, once again found Right Here.
2009 Official Cube Power Rankings.
NorCal Crew Collective Cube on Cube Tutor
My 2009 Cube Draft Article - "With The First Pick..."
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Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom:
The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray).
The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it.
The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
Twitter: @archplus3
NorCal Crew Collective Cube on Cube Tutor
My 2009 Cube Draft Article - "With The First Pick..."
2009 Official Cube Power Rankings
2010 Official Cube Power Rankings
2014 Official Cube Power Rankings
Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom:
The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray).
The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it.
The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
Twitter: @archplus3
Thanks, I appreciate it!
Nope.
This thread is for the results and discussion revolving around the results and the TURF.
The voting/discussion thread is only for the voting and discussion of cards and how members vote on them.
Thanks for your input!
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Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom:
The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray).
The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it.
The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
Twitter: @archplus3
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My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
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Copy this sig to join the cause. Cuz, ya know, Wizards makes decisions based on sigs.
Of course it did! That's probably the sole reason it dropped in rank. BSA is super-nasty.
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Contributed? That's like saying cocaine played a small role in Lindsay Lohan's (lack of a) career.
Without BSA, Exalted Angel retains the coveted "Best-Overall-White-Creature-in-the-Cube" title and probably cruises to a nice ranking behind some real White powerhouses. BSA is the single reason Exalted fell this year.
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My 2009 Cube Draft Article - "With The First Pick..."
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2010 Official Cube Power Rankings
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Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom:
The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray).
The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it.
The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
Twitter: @archplus3
I overall like how white shook out. I still think Karmic Guide is way nuts, but that's a nitpick.
Cheers,
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Elspeth was ranked 7th with a 10.9 composite in 2009.
That turned into a 5th with a 13.7 composite in 2010.
Exalted Angel was ranked 6th with an 11.1 composite in 2009.
That turned into an 11th with an 8.4 composite in 2010.
Elspeth improved moderately to strongly, but I think that is going to hold the same for Jace 2.0 next time we do this. I don't think everyone had played with Elspeth enough (at the time) to realize that she is arguably the best Planeswalker in the Cube.
The reason I kept reading during voting was (verbatim), "I would take Baneslayer before Exalted because of <insert reason here>". And it is because BSA is just that nuts. I won't say that BSA was 100% behind Exalted's downturn -- but it can't be less than 95%.
Furthermore, only 3 of 21 voters voted Exalted above Baneslayer. One was an 8-point difference. The other two were 1-point difference. Not to mention, Exalted also had three no-votes.
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My 2009 Cube Draft Article - "With The First Pick..."
2009 Official Cube Power Rankings
2010 Official Cube Power Rankings
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Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom:
The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray).
The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it.
The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
Twitter: @archplus3
Cheers,
rant
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Yeah, it was landslide-ish when it came to the effect BSA had on Exalted. Exalted is still ranked #11 in the Power Rankings, which is not awful in the least and still means she'll go P1P1 a lot of times. And there's nothing in the world wrong with that. She is clearly elite when it comes to White's creatures. Baneslayer is probably the better creature in a straight match up, but Baneslayer ranked out at #7. Exalted is only 4 slots behind and at worst, remains White's second best creature.
Without pulling up decklists and whatnot, I would very easily agree that she is one of the Cube's Top 20 creatures without giving a second thought. You're right on the money.
NorCal Crew Collective Cube on Cube Tutor
My 2009 Cube Draft Article - "With The First Pick..."
2009 Official Cube Power Rankings
2010 Official Cube Power Rankings
2014 Official Cube Power Rankings
Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom:
The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray).
The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it.
The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
Twitter: @archplus3
NorCal Crew Collective Cube on Cube Tutor
My 2009 Cube Draft Article - "With The First Pick..."
2009 Official Cube Power Rankings
2010 Official Cube Power Rankings
2014 Official Cube Power Rankings
Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom:
The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray).
The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it.
The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
Twitter: @archplus3
Copy this sig to join the cause. Cuz, ya know, Wizards makes decisions based on sigs.
It's a 2/4 that isn't color intensive and makes 1/1's for almost no cost. It survives almost all burn in the cube, beats in for 2 and makes that army of fliers. She can lock down games if played correctly.
I agree completely on the Gifts Given theory. I believe if it was in everyone's Cube, it's clearly a Top 5 card.
Meloku ranks out well because of the elite splashability CC. Plus, being able to pony up limitless flying tokens works wonders. My opponent had a North Tree that I couldn't deal with, but it was thanks to 4 lands that I had enough to block and kill it before it killed me. It set me back a couple turns, but I'd rather be behind a couple of turns than dead. Also, Meloku + Skullclamp = all kinds of win. I'll take a Meloku over any other blue creature at P1P1. I'd actually take Keiga over Morphling -- and that just comes down to splashability at P1P1. If it's P2P1 or P3P1 and I'm cleaning into Blue, Morphling leapfrogs (this is not to discount Superman's overall badasstedness).
NorCal Crew Collective Cube on Cube Tutor
My 2009 Cube Draft Article - "With The First Pick..."
2009 Official Cube Power Rankings
2010 Official Cube Power Rankings
2014 Official Cube Power Rankings
Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom:
The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray).
The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it.
The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
Twitter: @archplus3
It's really more of a "find 4 cards, keep 2 of them for yourself and put the other two in their graveyard". 3U isn't bad for two cards that aren't even yours. They get the pick a la Gifts UNgiven and FoF, but still...that's kind of money...especially as an Instant.
NorCal Crew Collective Cube on Cube Tutor
My 2009 Cube Draft Article - "With The First Pick..."
2009 Official Cube Power Rankings
2010 Official Cube Power Rankings
2014 Official Cube Power Rankings
Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom:
The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray).
The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it.
The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
Twitter: @archplus3
Copy this sig to join the cause. Cuz, ya know, Wizards makes decisions based on sigs.
I'm not totally unclear on how it would be good, as I run grinning totem, and it's clearly WAY WAY better than grinning totem.
To people who play with Gifts Given I have some questions:
When you draft gifts given do you just draft mana fixing a lot higher than you usually would? How often do you end up giftsing for cards you can't possibly cast? How often do you end up giftsing for a selection of artifacts and lands even at a cost of lower power cards just so you can play them? And how often do you just go for a specific subset of cards (like say artifact/enchant removal) as opposed to their best overall cards?
The problem for me isn't seeing that it's good, but just how good. It's not like the other blue cards that made the top 20 aren't all quite powerful in their own right. It just feels from the outside somewhere better than a good Sadistic Sacrament but often not as good as gifts ungiven itself.
It was pretty broken when I played it. If you see it early then you just draft random mana fixing higher so you have a better chance to cast colored spells and you can always grab artifacts & land. Mostly though your opponent probably only has 30 cards or less in their library when you cast this and ripping out their 4 best spells, even if you can't cast them, is usually pretty crippling as now not only do they not have their 4 best spells available, you've thinned their library by 4 spells making it more unlikely that they'll draw land. Jester's Cap isn't an abysmal cube card, I could see it making large cubes, and this is an instant, costs less mana, hits 4 cards and puts 2 of those cards into your hand. And it is foily and has cool art.
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This pretty much sums it up. When I draft this card, I will certainly look at dual lands, Signets, and other fixers with a slightly different eye. And you're in really good shape when you're in non-blue colors and can just splash for this card. But that's the thing about Gifts Given, it's so debilitating that you don't even need to be in your opponent's color. Usually they'll have some artifacts you can get, you can always hijack their lands, and even if you rip their 4 best spells from their deck, it was a worthwhile mana investment. Gifts Given is always very strong whenever I see it played, it's one of those cards I simply don't pass and always do my best to squeeze into my deck.
That's He can lock down games. Meloku is a guy, his flavour text says so. OK so he's wearing robes that look suspiciously like a dress, is wearing make-up, and has a rather elaborate hair-do/ears. And he has rather delicate features. And speaks in quite a high pitched, effeminate voice (hold the card really close to your ear). Nobody says anything to his face because he is so badass.
He is my favourite blue creature: I just like how on top of everything else he negates land destruction.
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He's my favorite blue creature because of how he...like...wins games.
NorCal Crew Collective Cube on Cube Tutor
My 2009 Cube Draft Article - "With The First Pick..."
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2010 Official Cube Power Rankings
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Silent Edge's Tidbits of Wisdom:
The Lewis Theory - When the presence of a single card makes every other card in your deck better (see Lewis, Ray).
The Rubber Edict - You'd rather have it and not use it, than need it and not have it.
The Shotgun Wedding - Don't commit early unless you absolutely have to.
Twitter: @archplus3
Ya, all on his own too. Out of nowhere. It's like... I've got the game in hand, and then Meloku happened to me.
God forbid you combine him with Skullclamp or something. He was also awesome with Ob Nix. Gave me lots of extra fuel. Meloku's a scary bastard. One of my least favorite things to see across the table.
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