I decided to do another set review in the style of my M13 review. The last couple have seemed to be pretty well received, and I thought it might be worth sharing my initial thoughts on RtR in the same way.
Just like the previous review, it will be in a spoiled top 20 countdown format, with each section having an image, a brief summary/description, and my verdict on what cubes I think it could potentially see some play in.
Enjoy!
There were a lot of cards competing for the #20 slot for RtR, because the set is jammed with great cards. There are literally tons of cards that were considered as “honorable mentions” for this set, so this one is likely interchangeable with several others that just missed the top 20 countdown. But lets talk about the Wurm! This creature has a lot of power. 10 power to be exact, and it brings two bodies; both of which have evasion. One of the things I like most about the card is that white and green only have maybe one decent 6-drop each, so this card isn’t going to run into a ton of competition. Additionally, medium-large sized cubes are always looking for additional Natural Order targets that are reasonably maindeckable, and this guy fits the bill. I couldn’t squeeze him into my 5-card w/g section, but if I had a 6th slot available, I’d certainly test this guy in that slot at the very least.
Verdict: I think this may be the 6th best w/g card, and will fit in the 540-630 range because of that.
This is a good 1-drop. Not because it’s great on T1, but because throughout the game you’ll find opportunities to gain incremental advantages from him. He gives you extra value from every dead land and creature, along with every instant or sorcery cast by either player. In addition to bringing black some life gain, green some reach, and the cube some extra graveyard hate, all of which is welcome. We playtested this card against other incoming b/g cards and settled with it taking the #6 slot in Golgari.
Verdict: I think this is likely the 6th best b/g card, which puts it in the 540-630 range.
This is a good red control card. It kills the majority of the creatures in the cube for 2 mana, and it has an “ultimate mode” that’s pretty strong. The only thing keeping this spell out of my cube is that it really needs to be played in decks that can reliably reach the 3RRR, and that doesn’t happen all that often. And when it does, it’s for Wildfire/BoX and this card pales a bit in comparison to those two. But it’s not far out from making the cut in a cube my size; if I added in one more non-creature 2cc red card, this would likely be it.
Verdict: I would very likely play this in any 540 sized cube.
I think this is the third best Go For the Throat/Doom Blade type clone, and it’s really close to Doom Blade in power-level (almost identical as far as targets go). If I wanted a 3rd Doom Blade variant, this would be my go-to spell. I don’t need one at 500, but if I expanded my cube even a little bit, I’d be happy to play it.
Verdict: I think this card settles in nicely at 540.
This is a solid 2-drop that is better than it looks, and better than people think it is. 3-power 2-drops just don’t happen for red, so this guy is pretty welcome. Additionally, a Blade of the Sixth Pride isn’t an exciting card in white, but gets a lot better in a color like red where all the late-game reach (burn) is available to seal the deal. This card is really close to making the cut in my 500 card list, and the only reason it’s not is because red is getting a pair of better two drops from this very set. Red doesn’t need to increase the quality of its two-drops, it needs more two drops. After the RtR update, I’ll see if I’m still looking for yet another 2cc creature in red, and if I am, this is going to be the one I add in.
Verdict: I would play this at 540 for sure, but I think it may be warranted in some 450 builds too.
This is a solid creature. Nothing flashy, but very efficient. 2-power and haste for 2-mana is most welcome into RR/x aggro decks, BB/x aggro decks and certainly Rakdos aggro. So this guy goes in. I think it’s probably the #5 b/r card in the cube; a color combination that needed a lot of help.
Verdict: Likely the 5th best Rakdos card; fits in the 450-540 range due to that.
I’m kinda gambling with this guy at #14 I think. It could wind up a lot higher or a lot lower after some more extensive playtesting. I can’t decide if my list is too tight for this creature or if it’s a shoe-in. I guess only time will tell. WW for a 2/2 first strike ...we’ve seen it all before. But this guy is different. Making tokens every time it connects allows me to use the first strike offensively as evasion, and then take advantage of the no blocks by cranking out tokens. I’m always looking to increase the token/anthem support in white, and always wanted a 2cc token support card. Well? Here he is. I wish to hell it was a 2/1 for 1W, but what can you do.
Verdict: I’m going with 450-540 for now, and will be including him in my 500 card cube.
Filler, but a decent creature. A 5/5 for 4-mana has been done before, but not quite like this. There’s no drawback at all. Just an additional upside that makes him quite the cool creature in the late game. Bash for 5 until they deal with it, and then Scavenge him onto another creature to bash for a lot more. Seems like a win-win to me.
Verdict: He’s somewhere in the 450-540 range. Perhaps smaller if you like solid beaters and play a lot of graveyard/discard related decks.
This isn’t the next coming of Ajani V. or Sorin as far as gold planeswalkers go, but it sure is a solid one. Whenever I can evaluate a card as a “Maelstrom Pulse that leaves an XYZ behind...” I’m going to be pretty happy about it. This is a Pulse that needs to be killed or it will Pulse again. And make no mistakes, that’s good enough.
Verdict: My playgroup and I are happy with her after playtesting for a bit, and it’s securely in the #5 Golgari slot for us. Which probably means somewhere in the 450-540 area.
This is a 4-mana uncounterable Wrath. It’s good. Every W/U control deck will play it, and it’s clutch in the control mirror. I think that W/U got some help, and already had decent options before, so this isn’t the stone-cold auto-include, but it is a great card. I think 360 cubes may be set on Wrath effects without it, but anything bigger will benefit for sure.
Verdict: This is my 4th favorite W/U card, and I think it fits snugly into 450 lists with no questions.
This thing is good. I mean, not only does it tap for 1 mana of any color, but it also allows every one of your other lands to tap for 1 mana of any color. Including colorless lands (especially Maze of Ith and Ancient Tomb!). I think it’s easily the second-best 3cc mana-rock, and while 360 might not need it because it has Relic, anything bigger will probably use both.
Verdict: I would play this card in 450 for sure. And maybe even smaller if you’re looking to help 4-5cc.
This is a great red 2-drop. 2-power, haste and first strike? On a 2/2 body for 2-mana? Just what red wanted. Really, it is. And the extra flashback damage is going to be randomly nice. This card is a real winner.
Verdict: All 450 cubes should run this creature, and most smaller cubes will probably find room as well.
This is one of the best removal spells we’ve seen printed in a while. It hot SO many targets in the cube, it’s silly. And it’s an instant? And uncounterable? And only costs 2 mana? It’s such a great spell, I can’t wait to cube this piece of removal for a long time.
Verdict: I think this is the #4 Golgari card, so it’ll land in the 360-450 range, depending on how many slots you dedicate.
Just what Izzet needed ...another non-bomb spell that will go into every R/U deck but not necessarily push me into R/U. All that aside (despite it being true) this spell is great. Every mode is super-relevant, and the card has uses in all phases of the game. As early removal it kills almost every creature you can expect to see. In the mid-game, it counters all the 3-5cc non-creature bombs in the cube like Swords and Planeswalkers. And late in the game, I can loot away extra lands to draw gas spells like counters and burn. Every R/U deck will play this card. And I like it as much if not slightly more than all the other options Izzet currently has.
Verdict: I would play this at 360 and everything bigger.
Awww man, it’s just a gold Oblivion Ring... Wait, what? A gold Oblivion Ring? Sign me up. For a second there, I forgot that Oblivion Ring is one of the best removal spells in the entire cube, and every W/U deck will be stoked to windmill slam this into their final 40. It’s also good at hosing tokens and clones, so it even has some extra utility there too. No question, this slides into my #1 W/U slot and should be played in every cube.
Verdict: 360. It’s the best W/U card, so every cube should play it.
This is the 2-drop my Golgari decks have always wanted. A great early creature that can grow throughout the course of the game, regenerate (and trample!) in combat and serve as a discard outlet for my reanimation decks. I’ll play it in aggro decks, mid-range decks and combo decks alike. If B/G weren’t stacked with things like Deeds and Pulses, this might be the best card in that combination.
Verdict: My 3rd favorite Golgari card; a 360 verdict.
This is kinda a boring card, and only a mild upgrade over Terminate. But still, it’s exactly what I want for my R/B decks. High loyalty ‘walkers are a problem for Rakdos, and getting a 2cc bullet that not only kills every ‘walker, but also every creature in the cube ...that’s a cube card right there. SO many valuable targets for such a cheap spell. My #2 card in Rakdos as of RtR.
Verdict: This belongs at 360. It’s a cheap answer to a TON of great cube cards.
What an aggro creature. I mean, a 2/2 that can’t block for 1 mana, and it can go into almost every aggro deck out there. And even when drawn late, it can be played “chained” as a chump-blocker. I’m still kinda stunned they printed this creature, but I’m not complaining.
Verdict: 360 staple.
This creature is pretty silly. I mean, it’s a 2-power 1-drop that can be used by the vast majority of aggro decks out there, and has built-in hate for flashback. Kinda a no-brainer.
Verdict: Also a 360 staple.
This may be a surprise for folks that haven’t been reading my commentary on this card since it’s been spoiled, but I can’t say it enough: This creature is absolutely bonkers. If I’m not holding a piece of removal in my hand, this is the one 2-drop I do NOT want to see cast against me. They have to kill it right away, or you just make rats until your opponent is dead.
On T3, you pitch your first card, make a second Rat and bash for 2. No big deal. On T4, you pitch another card and make all your rats into 3/3s and bash for 6. That’s a pretty big threat now. But on T5, you pitch a card to make all of them 4/4s and bash for 12. Now, that’s pretty ridiculous. If you haven’t been keeping track of damage, that’s the 20th point of damage you’ve attacked for. But your opponent has probably killed off a Rat and blocked another, so they’re still alive. Until T6-7. Now, you make your 5th Rat and swing with 20 power worth of rats, and they’re all 5/5’s!
On top of all this, it interacts with graveyard related cards. Squee, Genesis, Bloodghast, Gravecrawler, Flashback spells, reanimation targets, lands for Loam/Crucible decks, the list goes on and on.
I can’t think of enough good things to say about Pack Rat, just play it for yourself and see. It’s probably the 2nd best black creature in the cube behind Confidant. And maybe better because it goes in more decks. Just stellar.
Verdict: All cubes, all sizes.
Well, there's a quick look at my favorite RtR cards for the cube. Hope you enjoyed, and as always...
Detention Sphere is high on your list. It's another O-ring with marginal upsides and an arguable downside (two different colored mana symbols in the cost). It can also be worse at handling clones than Oblivion Ring if they clone your guy (you have to remove your own guy as well as theirs). I think Supreme Verdict and Geist of Saint Traft are both more desired in U/W decks than Detention Sphere, which is fairly boring.
Ash Zealot should be higher up. I would definitely run her at 360 - there are very few creatures better than her at 2cmc.
Also, a little piece from Eidolon I was reading in another thread - the average 720 has 6.3 multicolored cards per guild. You assessed that you think Deathrite Shaman is the 6th best which puts him around 540-630 level, but he should actually probably be classified as 630-720 level.
I think Precinct Captain is also not that great, but a lot of other people disagree with me so I'm going to abstain from that. I'd probably put it around #19 if I made a top 20 list. #14 isn't that far off.
Other than that, great review. 100% agree with all your other analysis. I might have put Cyclonic Rift on there somewhere since I think a lot of people will cube with it more than Mizzium Mortars or Armada Wurm.
This had to be a tough set to rank thanks to the differences between gold cards and factoring in their guilds (and how everyone does multicolor differently). I too, think Ash Zealot is a tad too low (err high?) but frankly this set is just amazing. Hell, I'm probably going to test every card on this list, except maybe Ultimate Price.
Detention Sphere is high on your list. It's another O-ring with marginal upsides and an arguable downside (two different colored mana symbols in the cost). It can also be worse at handling clones than Oblivion Ring if they clone your guy (you have to remove your own guy as well as theirs). I think Supreme Verdict and Geist of Saint Traft are both more desired in U/W decks than Detention Sphere, which is fairly boring.
It's boring, but it's really, really good. Pretend for one second that Oblivion Ring wasn't available and tell me you wouldn't windmill slam this card into every single W/U deck.
It's high up on my list because it's great. It will make more decks than Geist, and Verdict isn't as needed in 360 cubes.
Quote from Blimpy »
Ash Zealot should be higher up. I would definitely run her at 360 - there are very few creatures better than her at 2cmc.
Maybe. The RR is an important thing to consider, but I think she's still very good.
Quote from Blimpy »
Also, a little piece from Eidolon I was reading in another thread - the average 720 has 6.3 multicolored cards per guild. You assessed that you think Deathrite Shaman is the 6th best which puts him around 540-630 level, but he should actually probably be classified as 630-720 level.
That's from before RtR. I bet that by the end of this block those numbers will be higher. In which case, the numbers will be quite accurate.
Quote from Blimpy »
I think Precinct Captain is also not that great, but a lot of other people disagree with me so I'm going to abstain from that. I'd probably put it around #19 if I made a top 20 list. #14 isn't that far off.
We'll see. He seems pretty good to me. I said in the review that I wasn't 100% on where he should go. It may be better than I think still too.
Quote from Blimpy »
Other than that, great review. 100% agree with all your other analysis. I might have put Cyclonic Rift on there somewhere since I think a lot of people will cube with it more than Mizzium Mortars or Armada Wurm.
Thanks! And I think people will be cubing Rift more than Mortars and Wurm, but I don't agree with that. I've already tested the Rift and I don't think it belongs in the top 20 discussion.
Quote from Phantizle »
This had to be a tough set to rank thanks to the differences between gold cards and factoring in their guilds (and how everyone does multicolor differently). I too, think Ash Zealot is a tad too low (err high?) but frankly this set is just amazing. Hell, I'm probably going to test every card on this list, except maybe Ultimate Price.
I flip-flopped a lot with the order on several of the gold cards, yes.
Zealot is good, but RR needs to be accounted for at 360. It'll probably still make the cut there anyways, but I wanted to be on the safe side.
Well done as always, even as I quibble that both Shred-Freak and Ash Zealot are too low.
They may be. Zealot is good, and will likely see play in most cubes, if not all. Shred-Freak is a great "filler" card because it goes into a lot of decks, but it just doesn't impress me enough to move it "higher" on the list.
Awesome review once again wtwlf, a pleasure to read.
It's a good sign that a set is awesome when a 2 power for one hybrid mana creature is only outranked because there happens to be another 2 power for one hybrid mana creature.
Awesome review once again wtwlf, a pleasure to read.
It's a good sign that a set is good when a 2 power for one hybrid mana creature is only outranked because there happens to be another 2 power for one hybrid mana creature.
Glad you liked it!
And ya, instead of getting one of the best aggro creatures ever, we get two. Fantastic. Looking forward the boss Gruul and Boros beaters we're likely to see in the next set.
Thanks again for doing this! I'm definitely including your whole top 8 at 360.
I was actually still unconvinced on Pack Rat until you did this. That card just seems obnoxiously good now.
I still don't like Supreme Verdict all that much. Not from a quality standpoint, but in another thread someone mentioned that they want their control players to have to protect their wraths themselves. I also run a little light on counterspells these days, so I guess if I upped the number this would become a lot more powerful and less lazy.
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Thanks again for doing this! I'm definitely including your whole top 8 at 360.
I was actually still unconvinced on Pack Rat until you did this. That card just seems obnoxiously good now.
I still don't like Supreme Verdict all that much. Not from a quality standpoint, but in another thread someone mentioned that they want their control players to have to protect their wraths themselves. I also run a little light on counterspells these days, so I guess if I upped the number this would become a lot more powerful and less lazy.
Glad it was helpful!
Pack Rat is the man. For real.
Verdict is a good card for 450+ cubes. Day of Judgement is good. W/U wants more 4cc Wrath effects. Seems like a no-brainer to me. There are several decks where the uncounterability is going to be important too.
The more I look back on this set, the more I realize what a ridiculous bonanza for cube it is. You don't even include Selesnya Charm, which has been getting a TON of praise in the main thread, or Azorius Charm or Judge's Familiar, cards both of us were fairly bullish on before the better Azorius spells were spoiled. Dreg Mangler, too.
And the funny thing is that none of those cards belong in the top 20, despite being playable at 720, and probably at several levels below that, too. Crazy. This might be the first time since Alpha that you could do a top 25 and not feel like you were being stupidly optimistic.
Fantastic review, man. Was Jace 4.0 really so bad for you that he didn't even make the T20? I've only seen him in play once, but he wasn't terrible. I'd say he's at least 630 good and borderline at 550.
Oh, and fwiw, I'm at 555 and I've ran 6 per guild for quite a long time. I think around 10% is right. At 550 it's right, imo, to run 5 for a more conservative gold section or 6 if you want to add a little more spice.
The more I look back on this set, the more I realize what a ridiculous bonanza for cube it is. You don't even include Selesnya Charm, which has been getting a TON of praise in the main thread, or Azorius Charm or Judge's Familiar, cards both of us were fairly bullish on before the better Azorius spells were spoiled. Dreg Mangler, too.
And the funny thing is that none of those cards belong in the top 20, despite being playable at 720, and probably at several levels below that, too. Crazy. This might be the first time since Alpha that you could do a top 25 and not feel like you were being stupidly optimistic.
There are a lot of "honorable mentions". Really, I could see 720+ card cubes getting 25+ cards from this set. And even in my 500, it's going to be one of the larger represented sets from the history of the game. This was a great set for the cube.
Fantastic review, man. Was Jace 4.0 really so bad for you that he didn't even make the T20? I've only seen him in play once, but he wasn't terrible. I'd say he's at least 630 good and borderline at 550.
Oh, and fwiw, I'm at 555 and I've ran 6 per guild for quite a long time. I think around 10% is right. At 550 it's right, imo, to run 5 for a more conservative gold section or 6 if you want to add a little more spice.
Ya, Jace missed the top 20 after playtesting. I think it's in the 630-720 range. Good card, but misses at the smaller levels.
Excellent review. I agree with everything you said, but I'd also like to add on to the "zealot needs to be 360 staple" comment everyone else is giving. I understand what you mean by the RR restriction though, but it's not that bad considering the availability of fixing in 360 in general.
Pretty much agree with all the inclusions but I would probably switch the order around a bit. I think the 2/* hybrid are probably the two best cards in the set just because it promotes aggro so much more, which is something I've been actively trying to do for a while now since it's just so easy for control to be overpowered in a powered Cube.
Edit:
Zealot would probably be my third card in the ranking. Pack Rat definitely seems strong but it appears to be an all-in kind of card where a board wipe just completely dominates you. That's without having tested any of these yet, will assess once again after playing with some of them.
Nothing in this game is degenerate or completely dominant. They haven't banned anything in standard in a long, long time. Hell they should have banned affinity right away, but they didn't until boxed sales collapsed too. Hasbro had to come in and fire people.
I'll enjoy watching all the whiners eat crow monday.
Excellent review. I agree with everything you said, but I'd also like to add on to the "zealot needs to be 360 staple" comment everyone else is giving. I understand what you mean by the RR restriction though, but it's not that bad considering the availability of fixing in 360 in general.
That's about 2.5% of the cube, which is mighty impressive given this is only one set.
Ya, maybe the Zealot could be called a 360 staple, but I'm not so sure. I'd call it a 450 staple that will make the cut in a lot of smaller cubes, and apparently that verdict isn't high enough for some people. She's been good in testing, but not leagues better than my existing 2-drop suite was. So I think it's great; not broken.
Pretty much agree with all the inclusions but I would probably switch the order around a bit. I think the 2/* hybrid are probably the two best cards in the set just because it promotes aggro so much more, which is something I've been actively trying to do for a while now since it's just so easy for control to be overpowered in a powered Cube.
Edit:
Zealot would probably be my third card in the ranking. Pack Rat definitely seems strong but it appears to be an all-in kind of card where a board wipe just completely dominates you. That's without having tested any of these yet, will assess once again after playing with some of them.
The only thing I want more than 2-power 1-drops for the cube are reanimation enablers in black that are maindeckable elsewhere. Pack Rat is the perfect solution.
And you're wrong about the Rat being "all in" or an overcommital. It's neither. It gives me more options than I had before. I can make rats, or play cards at face value. I don't have to make rats. You can be patient with the card. There's no "one right play" once it's out or anything like that. And Wraths are an answer, but far from a blow out. It prevents you from over extending into a wrath, if anything, because it allows you to pitch non-creature cards to develop your board. Instead of wrathing away all your win cons, they wrath your one Pack Rat and some other cards that weren't relevant enough to cast. Once you have 9 power out, you don't have to continue your rat plan. You just play your other cards like you would any other time.
Another thing it does is curve you out perfectly. If you have three lands and a rat, that's a keeper. You can curve out with ligitimate threats for the rest of the game that continually grow in quality. The card is a conplete beast.
The only thing I want more than 2-power 1-drops for the cube are reanimation enablers in black that are maindeckable elsewhere. Pack Rat is the perfect solution.
And you're wrong about the Rat being "all in" or an overcommital. It's neither. It gives me more options than I had before. I can make rats, or play cards at face value. I don't have to make rats. You can be patient with the card. There's no "one right play" once it's out or anything like that. And Wraths are an answer, but far from a blow out. It prevents you from over extending into a wrath, if anything, because it allows you to pitch non-creature cards to develop your board. Instead of wrathing away all your win cons, they wrath your one Pack Rat and some other cards that weren't relevant enough to cast. Once you have 9 power out, you don't have to continue your rat plan. You just play your other cards like you would any other time.
Another thing it does is curve you out perfectly. If you have three lands and a rat, that's a keeper. You can curve out with ligitimate threats for the rest of the game that continually grow in quality. The card is a conplete beast.
I'm not saying it's a great card. I definitely think it's worth inclusion and I want to try it out in my cube for sure. You make valid points outlining all the positives for the card and they are more than one would think at first glance. I'm just not sold on the hype without playing it a few times first, that's all. And to me, the two 2/* one drops are just a more wanted inclusion personally. They fit into mono red, mono black, Rakdos Aggro, white weenie, etc. That's a lot of different archetypes which I think all needed a little boost.
Nothing in this game is degenerate or completely dominant. They haven't banned anything in standard in a long, long time. Hell they should have banned affinity right away, but they didn't until boxed sales collapsed too. Hasbro had to come in and fire people.
I'll enjoy watching all the whiners eat crow monday.
I'll probably be cubing 15 of your top 20 in my 540 and maybe adding 20 cards overall, but only as I can get them from drafts (or they are less than a dollar). I am especially liking all the possible aggro guys and may be expanding my guilds even more if I can get the hybrids to balance out.
I'm not saying it's a great card. I definitely think it's worth inclusion and I want to try it out in my cube for sure. You make valid points outlining all the positives for the card and they are more than one would think at first glance. I'm just not sold on the hype without playing it a few times first, that's all. And to me, the two 2/* one drops are just a more wanted inclusion personally. They fit into mono red, mono black, Rakdos Aggro, white weenie, etc. That's a lot of different archetypes which I think all needed a little boost.
Don't get me wrong either. That pair of hybrid 2-power 1-drops is just a godsend for the cube. But Pack Rat ...man. Just play that card and see what it does for you. It's good in a lot of different archetypes, it's a single-card complete curve, it enables reanimation and it can have 36 power worth of rats on the table in the length of the average game.
I'll probably be cubing 15 of your top 20 in my 540 and maybe adding 20 cards overall, but only as I can get them from drafts (or they are less than a dollar). I am especially liking all the possible aggro guys and may be expanding my guilds even more if I can get the hybrids to balance out.
I think this may be one of the easier top 20s to collect too, because a lot of the cards are going to be cheap.
Don't get me wrong either. That pair of hybrid 2-power 1-drops is just a godsend for the cube. But Pack Rat ...man. Just play that card and see what it does for you. It's good in a lot of different archetypes, it's a single-card complete curve, it enables reanimation and it can have 36 power worth of rats on the table in the length of the average game.
I think this may be one of the easier top 20s to collect too, because a lot of the cards are going to be cheap.
Oh don't get me wrong, I'm definitely proxying one up to cube ASAP. Once I play with it it'll convince me either way. The 2 power 1 drops are just obvious in their inclusion and I always love more of them.
Definitely agreed with this top 20 being strong and affordable. Glad to see Wizards printing powerful, cubeable cards at common and uncommon!
Actually kind of makes me want to do an all gold cube.
Nothing in this game is degenerate or completely dominant. They haven't banned anything in standard in a long, long time. Hell they should have banned affinity right away, but they didn't until boxed sales collapsed too. Hasbro had to come in and fire people.
I'll enjoy watching all the whiners eat crow monday.
None of my friends had Pack Rats on their new card radar but after playing Pack Rats in cube it has not been opened in a pack without the player discussing how insane it is.
Oh don't get me wrong, I'm definitely proxying one up to cube ASAP. Once I play with it it'll convince me either way. The 2 power 1 drops are just obvious in their inclusion and I always love more of them.
Definitely agreed with this top 20 being strong and affordable. Glad to see Wizards printing powerful, cubeable cards at common and uncommon!
Actually kind of makes me want to do an all gold cube.
This set will definitely be a huge contributor to an all multicolor cube for sure.
None of my friends had Pack Rats on their new card radar but after playing Pack Rats in cube it has not been opened in a pack without the player discussing how insane it is.
Don't tell anyone else. We'll have Pack Rat be our hidden cube bomb secret.
As always I have enjoyed reading your set review! Have most of the the cards you mentioned on preorder right now, excluding Vraska (mostly budgetary reasons + I think/hope she will drop) and a couple of others (Ultimate Price, Deathrite Shaman and Mizzium Mortars).
Through the playtesting we have done with Jace, my group has found Jace to be lackluster.
I have had similar results to you with Pack Rats, it's sick.
I decided to do another set review in the style of my M13 review. The last couple have seemed to be pretty well received, and I thought it might be worth sharing my initial thoughts on RtR in the same way.
Just like the previous review, it will be in a spoiled top 20 countdown format, with each section having an image, a brief summary/description, and my verdict on what cubes I think it could potentially see some play in.
Enjoy!
There were a lot of cards competing for the #20 slot for RtR, because the set is jammed with great cards. There are literally tons of cards that were considered as “honorable mentions” for this set, so this one is likely interchangeable with several others that just missed the top 20 countdown. But lets talk about the Wurm! This creature has a lot of power. 10 power to be exact, and it brings two bodies; both of which have evasion. One of the things I like most about the card is that white and green only have maybe one decent 6-drop each, so this card isn’t going to run into a ton of competition. Additionally, medium-large sized cubes are always looking for additional Natural Order targets that are reasonably maindeckable, and this guy fits the bill. I couldn’t squeeze him into my 5-card w/g section, but if I had a 6th slot available, I’d certainly test this guy in that slot at the very least.
Verdict: I think this may be the 6th best w/g card, and will fit in the 540-630 range because of that.
This is a good 1-drop. Not because it’s great on T1, but because throughout the game you’ll find opportunities to gain incremental advantages from him. He gives you extra value from every dead land and creature, along with every instant or sorcery cast by either player. In addition to bringing black some life gain, green some reach, and the cube some extra graveyard hate, all of which is welcome. We playtested this card against other incoming b/g cards and settled with it taking the #6 slot in Golgari.
Verdict: I think this is likely the 6th best b/g card, which puts it in the 540-630 range.
This is a good red control card. It kills the majority of the creatures in the cube for 2 mana, and it has an “ultimate mode” that’s pretty strong. The only thing keeping this spell out of my cube is that it really needs to be played in decks that can reliably reach the 3RRR, and that doesn’t happen all that often. And when it does, it’s for Wildfire/BoX and this card pales a bit in comparison to those two. But it’s not far out from making the cut in a cube my size; if I added in one more non-creature 2cc red card, this would likely be it.
Verdict: I would very likely play this in any 540 sized cube.
I think this is the third best Go For the Throat/Doom Blade type clone, and it’s really close to Doom Blade in power-level (almost identical as far as targets go). If I wanted a 3rd Doom Blade variant, this would be my go-to spell. I don’t need one at 500, but if I expanded my cube even a little bit, I’d be happy to play it.
Verdict: I think this card settles in nicely at 540.
This is a solid 2-drop that is better than it looks, and better than people think it is. 3-power 2-drops just don’t happen for red, so this guy is pretty welcome. Additionally, a Blade of the Sixth Pride isn’t an exciting card in white, but gets a lot better in a color like red where all the late-game reach (burn) is available to seal the deal. This card is really close to making the cut in my 500 card list, and the only reason it’s not is because red is getting a pair of better two drops from this very set. Red doesn’t need to increase the quality of its two-drops, it needs more two drops. After the RtR update, I’ll see if I’m still looking for yet another 2cc creature in red, and if I am, this is going to be the one I add in.
Verdict: I would play this at 540 for sure, but I think it may be warranted in some 450 builds too.
This is a solid creature. Nothing flashy, but very efficient. 2-power and haste for 2-mana is most welcome into RR/x aggro decks, BB/x aggro decks and certainly Rakdos aggro. So this guy goes in. I think it’s probably the #5 b/r card in the cube; a color combination that needed a lot of help.
Verdict: Likely the 5th best Rakdos card; fits in the 450-540 range due to that.
I’m kinda gambling with this guy at #14 I think. It could wind up a lot higher or a lot lower after some more extensive playtesting. I can’t decide if my list is too tight for this creature or if it’s a shoe-in. I guess only time will tell. WW for a 2/2 first strike ...we’ve seen it all before. But this guy is different. Making tokens every time it connects allows me to use the first strike offensively as evasion, and then take advantage of the no blocks by cranking out tokens. I’m always looking to increase the token/anthem support in white, and always wanted a 2cc token support card. Well? Here he is. I wish to hell it was a 2/1 for 1W, but what can you do.
Verdict: I’m going with 450-540 for now, and will be including him in my 500 card cube.
Filler, but a decent creature. A 5/5 for 4-mana has been done before, but not quite like this. There’s no drawback at all. Just an additional upside that makes him quite the cool creature in the late game. Bash for 5 until they deal with it, and then Scavenge him onto another creature to bash for a lot more. Seems like a win-win to me.
Verdict: He’s somewhere in the 450-540 range. Perhaps smaller if you like solid beaters and play a lot of graveyard/discard related decks.
This isn’t the next coming of Ajani V. or Sorin as far as gold planeswalkers go, but it sure is a solid one. Whenever I can evaluate a card as a “Maelstrom Pulse that leaves an XYZ behind...” I’m going to be pretty happy about it. This is a Pulse that needs to be killed or it will Pulse again. And make no mistakes, that’s good enough.
Verdict: My playgroup and I are happy with her after playtesting for a bit, and it’s securely in the #5 Golgari slot for us. Which probably means somewhere in the 450-540 area.
This is a 4-mana uncounterable Wrath. It’s good. Every W/U control deck will play it, and it’s clutch in the control mirror. I think that W/U got some help, and already had decent options before, so this isn’t the stone-cold auto-include, but it is a great card. I think 360 cubes may be set on Wrath effects without it, but anything bigger will benefit for sure.
Verdict: This is my 4th favorite W/U card, and I think it fits snugly into 450 lists with no questions.
This thing is good. I mean, not only does it tap for 1 mana of any color, but it also allows every one of your other lands to tap for 1 mana of any color. Including colorless lands (especially Maze of Ith and Ancient Tomb!). I think it’s easily the second-best 3cc mana-rock, and while 360 might not need it because it has Relic, anything bigger will probably use both.
Verdict: I would play this card in 450 for sure. And maybe even smaller if you’re looking to help 4-5cc.
This is a great red 2-drop. 2-power, haste and first strike? On a 2/2 body for 2-mana? Just what red wanted. Really, it is. And the extra flashback damage is going to be randomly nice. This card is a real winner.
Verdict: All 450 cubes should run this creature, and most smaller cubes will probably find room as well.
This is one of the best removal spells we’ve seen printed in a while. It hot SO many targets in the cube, it’s silly. And it’s an instant? And uncounterable? And only costs 2 mana? It’s such a great spell, I can’t wait to cube this piece of removal for a long time.
Verdict: I think this is the #4 Golgari card, so it’ll land in the 360-450 range, depending on how many slots you dedicate.
Just what Izzet needed ...another non-bomb spell that will go into every R/U deck but not necessarily push me into R/U. All that aside (despite it being true) this spell is great. Every mode is super-relevant, and the card has uses in all phases of the game. As early removal it kills almost every creature you can expect to see. In the mid-game, it counters all the 3-5cc non-creature bombs in the cube like Swords and Planeswalkers. And late in the game, I can loot away extra lands to draw gas spells like counters and burn. Every R/U deck will play this card. And I like it as much if not slightly more than all the other options Izzet currently has.
Verdict: I would play this at 360 and everything bigger.
Awww man, it’s just a gold Oblivion Ring... Wait, what? A gold Oblivion Ring? Sign me up. For a second there, I forgot that Oblivion Ring is one of the best removal spells in the entire cube, and every W/U deck will be stoked to windmill slam this into their final 40. It’s also good at hosing tokens and clones, so it even has some extra utility there too. No question, this slides into my #1 W/U slot and should be played in every cube.
Verdict: 360. It’s the best W/U card, so every cube should play it.
This is the 2-drop my Golgari decks have always wanted. A great early creature that can grow throughout the course of the game, regenerate (and trample!) in combat and serve as a discard outlet for my reanimation decks. I’ll play it in aggro decks, mid-range decks and combo decks alike. If B/G weren’t stacked with things like Deeds and Pulses, this might be the best card in that combination.
Verdict: My 3rd favorite Golgari card; a 360 verdict.
This is kinda a boring card, and only a mild upgrade over Terminate. But still, it’s exactly what I want for my R/B decks. High loyalty ‘walkers are a problem for Rakdos, and getting a 2cc bullet that not only kills every ‘walker, but also every creature in the cube ...that’s a cube card right there. SO many valuable targets for such a cheap spell. My #2 card in Rakdos as of RtR.
Verdict: This belongs at 360. It’s a cheap answer to a TON of great cube cards.
What an aggro creature. I mean, a 2/2 that can’t block for 1 mana, and it can go into almost every aggro deck out there. And even when drawn late, it can be played “chained” as a chump-blocker. I’m still kinda stunned they printed this creature, but I’m not complaining.
Verdict: 360 staple.
This creature is pretty silly. I mean, it’s a 2-power 1-drop that can be used by the vast majority of aggro decks out there, and has built-in hate for flashback. Kinda a no-brainer.
Verdict: Also a 360 staple.
This may be a surprise for folks that haven’t been reading my commentary on this card since it’s been spoiled, but I can’t say it enough: This creature is absolutely bonkers. If I’m not holding a piece of removal in my hand, this is the one 2-drop I do NOT want to see cast against me. They have to kill it right away, or you just make rats until your opponent is dead.
On T3, you pitch your first card, make a second Rat and bash for 2. No big deal. On T4, you pitch another card and make all your rats into 3/3s and bash for 6. That’s a pretty big threat now. But on T5, you pitch a card to make all of them 4/4s and bash for 12. Now, that’s pretty ridiculous. If you haven’t been keeping track of damage, that’s the 20th point of damage you’ve attacked for. But your opponent has probably killed off a Rat and blocked another, so they’re still alive. Until T6-7. Now, you make your 5th Rat and swing with 20 power worth of rats, and they’re all 5/5’s!
On top of all this, it interacts with graveyard related cards. Squee, Genesis, Bloodghast, Gravecrawler, Flashback spells, reanimation targets, lands for Loam/Crucible decks, the list goes on and on.
I can’t think of enough good things to say about Pack Rat, just play it for yourself and see. It’s probably the 2nd best black creature in the cube behind Confidant. And maybe better because it goes in more decks. Just stellar.
Verdict: All cubes, all sizes.
Well, there's a quick look at my favorite RtR cards for the cube. Hope you enjoyed, and as always...
Happy Cubing!
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Ash Zealot should be higher up. I would definitely run her at 360 - there are very few creatures better than her at 2cmc.
Also, a little piece from Eidolon I was reading in another thread - the average 720 has 6.3 multicolored cards per guild. You assessed that you think Deathrite Shaman is the 6th best which puts him around 540-630 level, but he should actually probably be classified as 630-720 level.
I think Precinct Captain is also not that great, but a lot of other people disagree with me so I'm going to abstain from that. I'd probably put it around #19 if I made a top 20 list. #14 isn't that far off.
Other than that, great review. 100% agree with all your other analysis. I might have put Cyclonic Rift on there somewhere since I think a lot of people will cube with it more than Mizzium Mortars or Armada Wurm.
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It's boring, but it's really, really good. Pretend for one second that Oblivion Ring wasn't available and tell me you wouldn't windmill slam this card into every single W/U deck.
It's high up on my list because it's great. It will make more decks than Geist, and Verdict isn't as needed in 360 cubes.
Maybe. The RR is an important thing to consider, but I think she's still very good.
That's from before RtR. I bet that by the end of this block those numbers will be higher. In which case, the numbers will be quite accurate.
We'll see. He seems pretty good to me. I said in the review that I wasn't 100% on where he should go. It may be better than I think still too.
Thanks! And I think people will be cubing Rift more than Mortars and Wurm, but I don't agree with that. I've already tested the Rift and I don't think it belongs in the top 20 discussion.
I flip-flopped a lot with the order on several of the gold cards, yes.
Zealot is good, but RR needs to be accounted for at 360. It'll probably still make the cut there anyways, but I wanted to be on the safe side.
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They may be. Zealot is good, and will likely see play in most cubes, if not all. Shred-Freak is a great "filler" card because it goes into a lot of decks, but it just doesn't impress me enough to move it "higher" on the list.
Glad you liked the review!
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It's a good sign that a set is awesome when a 2 power for one hybrid mana creature is only outranked because there happens to be another 2 power for one hybrid mana creature.
It's going to be a money set, in every sense of the word.
Glad you liked it!
And ya, instead of getting one of the best aggro creatures ever, we get two. Fantastic. Looking forward the boss Gruul and Boros beaters we're likely to see in the next set.
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I was actually still unconvinced on Pack Rat until you did this. That card just seems obnoxiously good now.
I still don't like Supreme Verdict all that much. Not from a quality standpoint, but in another thread someone mentioned that they want their control players to have to protect their wraths themselves. I also run a little light on counterspells these days, so I guess if I upped the number this would become a lot more powerful and less lazy.
W Jazal Goldmane W R Daretti, Scrap Savant R
B Ghoulcaller Gisa B UG Prime Speaker ZeganaUG
UG Edric, Spymaster of Trest UG BG Nath, of the Gilt-Leaf BG
RG Ruric Thar, the Unbowed RG UB Dragonlord Silumgar UB
UBG Damia, Sage of Stone UBG WUG Roon of the Hidden Realm WUG
WRG Marath, Will of the Wild WRG BRG Prossh, Skyrider of Kher BRG
WUB Sydri, Galvanic Genius WUB UBR Thraximundar UBR
URG Yasova Dragonclaw URG WUR Zedruu, the Greathearted WUR
WBG Daghatar the Adamant WBG WUBRG Horde of Notions WUBRG
Ya, a lot of cards, but not a ton of mythics. Nice for a change.
Glad it was helpful!
Pack Rat is the man. For real.
Verdict is a good card for 450+ cubes. Day of Judgement is good. W/U wants more 4cc Wrath effects. Seems like a no-brainer to me. There are several decks where the uncounterability is going to be important too.
..........
Thanks for the comments!
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Very good set review as always
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And the funny thing is that none of those cards belong in the top 20, despite being playable at 720, and probably at several levels below that, too. Crazy. This might be the first time since Alpha that you could do a top 25 and not feel like you were being stupidly optimistic.
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Oh, and fwiw, I'm at 555 and I've ran 6 per guild for quite a long time. I think around 10% is right. At 550 it's right, imo, to run 5 for a more conservative gold section or 6 if you want to add a little more spice.
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Nope. No tapping for Pack Rat.
Glad you enjoyed the review!
There are a lot of "honorable mentions". Really, I could see 720+ card cubes getting 25+ cards from this set. And even in my 500, it's going to be one of the larger represented sets from the history of the game. This was a great set for the cube.
Ya, Jace missed the top 20 after playtesting. I think it's in the 630-720 range. Good card, but misses at the smaller levels.
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These are my 360 includes:
- Izzet Charm (already in!)
- Dryad Militant
- Lotleth Troll
- Chromatic Lantern
- Pack Rats
- Dreadbore
- Detention Sphere
- Ash Zealot
- Rakdos Cackler
That's about 2.5% of the cube, which is mighty impressive given this is only one set.
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Edit:
Zealot would probably be my third card in the ranking. Pack Rat definitely seems strong but it appears to be an all-in kind of card where a board wipe just completely dominates you. That's without having tested any of these yet, will assess once again after playing with some of them.
Who's eating crow?
Ya, maybe the Zealot could be called a 360 staple, but I'm not so sure. I'd call it a 450 staple that will make the cut in a lot of smaller cubes, and apparently that verdict isn't high enough for some people. She's been good in testing, but not leagues better than my existing 2-drop suite was. So I think it's great; not broken.
The only thing I want more than 2-power 1-drops for the cube are reanimation enablers in black that are maindeckable elsewhere. Pack Rat is the perfect solution.
And you're wrong about the Rat being "all in" or an overcommital. It's neither. It gives me more options than I had before. I can make rats, or play cards at face value. I don't have to make rats. You can be patient with the card. There's no "one right play" once it's out or anything like that. And Wraths are an answer, but far from a blow out. It prevents you from over extending into a wrath, if anything, because it allows you to pitch non-creature cards to develop your board. Instead of wrathing away all your win cons, they wrath your one Pack Rat and some other cards that weren't relevant enough to cast. Once you have 9 power out, you don't have to continue your rat plan. You just play your other cards like you would any other time.
Another thing it does is curve you out perfectly. If you have three lands and a rat, that's a keeper. You can curve out with ligitimate threats for the rest of the game that continually grow in quality. The card is a conplete beast.
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I'm not saying it's a great card. I definitely think it's worth inclusion and I want to try it out in my cube for sure. You make valid points outlining all the positives for the card and they are more than one would think at first glance. I'm just not sold on the hype without playing it a few times first, that's all. And to me, the two 2/* one drops are just a more wanted inclusion personally. They fit into mono red, mono black, Rakdos Aggro, white weenie, etc. That's a lot of different archetypes which I think all needed a little boost.
Who's eating crow?
http://cubetutor.com/cubeblog/993
http://www.cubetutor.com/cubeblog/23690
Don't get me wrong either. That pair of hybrid 2-power 1-drops is just a godsend for the cube. But Pack Rat ...man. Just play that card and see what it does for you. It's good in a lot of different archetypes, it's a single-card complete curve, it enables reanimation and it can have 36 power worth of rats on the table in the length of the average game.
I think this may be one of the easier top 20s to collect too, because a lot of the cards are going to be cheap.
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Oh don't get me wrong, I'm definitely proxying one up to cube ASAP. Once I play with it it'll convince me either way. The 2 power 1 drops are just obvious in their inclusion and I always love more of them.
Definitely agreed with this top 20 being strong and affordable. Glad to see Wizards printing powerful, cubeable cards at common and uncommon!
Actually kind of makes me want to do an all gold cube.
Who's eating crow?
This set will definitely be a huge contributor to an all multicolor cube for sure.
Don't tell anyone else. We'll have Pack Rat be our hidden cube bomb secret.
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Through the playtesting we have done with Jace, my group has found Jace to be lackluster.
I have had similar results to you with Pack Rats, it's sick.