This is my 5th installment of the "top 20" set preview articles.
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.
This is a fair Mana Drain. If the original card was costed appropriately, this is probably a lot closer to what it would look like. The nice thing about this card is that it produces more than just colorless mana, so you can cast pretty much any spell with the extra mana it generates.
Verdict: I think the spell is good, but not great. Simic is relatively deep, but I could see this card maybe being the 8th or so best card in its section, making it a card that would go in cubes ~810 cards or so. Maybe even 900. But, it's a really fun and flavorful card, so people who really like the effect may play it in cubes that are even smaller.
I think this card is very interesting. It's a pseudo-Anthem variant with a built-in way to protect your army from wrath effects. If this was +1/+1 for all your red and white creatures, it would be quite a bit better, but it can add some clock and protect your army, so I don't think it's a terrible option for larger cubes.
Verdict: Boros isn't as weak as it used to be, but I could see this card being the 8th best card in Boros for some cubes, putting it in the 810 or so range for cube sizes.
This creature is really cool. If it had the ability to block, I'd consider playing it even in small cubes, but when you look at him, he's still pretty solid. He's an unkillable 4-power attacker that has synergy with all types of graveyard based decks, and Pox/Stax builds to boot. Seems like a fun card to sac to an effect because he can always come back, and he's friends with Skullclamp and the like.
Verdict: Golgari is a DEEP guild now with a lot of great options. But if your group uses BG for graveyard/loam/pox/stax type play, this could crack larger lists for sure. If you support the kinds of decks that want this guy, he could squeeze into the #8 spot in Golgari, and maybe sneak into some 810+ cubes.
There was a time that a 4/4 first strike haste for 4 mana would've been a pipe dream, but sadly, those days are long gone. Rakdos decks have a glut of good aggressive curve-topping options, and while Exava is good, I don't think she's good enough to compete in the smaller lists. However, she's exactly what most Rakdos decks are looking for, so in larger cubes that want to expand the shelf of good aggressive curve-toppers, she's a gift.
Verdict: I don't think that BR has a ton of amazing options outside of the top 4 cards. So this card gets added to the expansive group of tier-2 Rakdos cards. I think it does exactly what I want my BR creatures to do, so I would consider this card probably the #7 Rakdos card. I'd play it at 720, personally.
I don't think this creature is particularly great, but there aren't many good 6cc creature options in either red or green for larger cubes. A 6/6 vigilance reach monster that hits them for 6 if they try and remove it is nothing to scoff at.
Verdict: Larger cubes might be wanting for 6cc creatures in the Gruul ramp decks, and this guy could just be the answer to plug that hole. I'd play him in a 720 card cube if that cube is looking for a creature like this to drop at the top of the curve.
This is a very fun creature. Clone effects are largely underrepresented in the cube, because not enough of them have the ability to really ensure a strong investment. This guy, on the other hand, certainly can. He can pass the Vindicate test by copying an ETB creature, and he can run away with the game entirely if he's left unchecked for even a few turns.
Verdict: Simic has a pretty deep top shelf, but this creature can certainly give all the other tier 2 options a run for their money. I would probably test this card in a 720 card cube and see if it has what it takes to permanently steal a top-7 Simic slot.
5cc army-in-a-can creatures have been done a few times in white now ...and they're all pretty darn good. This one too, is very solid. It has a 4/4 baseline for a body, and it makes 2 1/1 flying tokens. So that's 6 power with partial evasion for 5 mana. Now it has the downside of not functioning well with blink effects because it's not a true ETB trigger, but it still works with bounce. It also has the upside of having the populate trigger randomly hit something better than a 1/1 token, which can definitely happen from time to time.
Verdict: I think that white's top 5-drops are great, but for larger cubes looking for more Cloudgoat/GHM variants, this one could squeeze in that the back of the 5cc creature section for 720+ card cubes.
Whenever discussion about a card starts of with "it's kinda like Pernicious Deed, but" ...the card warrants some close evaluation. Deed is better. A lot better. However, surgical sweeper spells can be very powerful, and black/green is equipped with a lot of tools to make the effect even more asymmetrical. Deed can sweep at a later time, requiring less mana investment at one time. But as a late-game spell, Gaze hits Planeswalkers in addition to the other cards hit by Deed, and that can be clutch. I think it's a very good Death Cloud type variant, and it should play better than people expect it to.
Verdict: I think this has the potential to be the 7th best Golgari card, and I would play it at 720 for sure.
This is a lot of lifegain strapped to a 2-drop. If one of the two abilities had been exchanged for either First Strike or Flying, I'd probably slam this thing into even the smallest of lists. But as it is, the creature can be fragile in combat, but with a little finesse, it might be able to earn its keep.
Verdict: Orzhov has a lot of cards of similar power level once you break out of the 3 cube staples. I think that Tithe Drinker has the ability to compete with most of those options. I think it can end up falling somewhere in the 630-720 range.
Izzet doesn't have a ton of ways to deal with really big creatures. 5-mana is a lot, but it does allow you to kill pretty much anything. But I think this card has more value as a combat trick. Being able to Ovinize something during combat and Shock another creature can create some pretty savage blowouts, and give you card advantage.
Verdict: Izzet is notoriously light on great cards. Outside of the 5 really good cards in that guild, this could easily settle in the #6 slot, making it a solid 630 card in my book.
I think this is the Fuse card that they actually pushed the hardest. Neither mode is strictly worse than its mono-colored variant, and it has nice synergy with itself. Sometimes the opportunity will present itself to Lava Axe your opponent for 2R. In other cases, you can always use it to draw some cards. Or at the end of your curve, you can Fuse it against your opponent for some big-time finishing damage.
Verdict: I don't think Rakdos is particularly strong the deeper you go, and this could easily settle in as the #6 Rakdos card. I'd play it at 630.
Despite not being pushed as hard as Toil // Trouble, I think this is the best Fuse card in this set (for the cube). It has 4 casting options, and two of them are pretty good. When you can have a big impact on your opponent's board by bouncing a threat and Edicting another, it can be a big time spell. Especially with the nice synergy the two halves have with each other. Additionally, the spell is quite powerful if you use the bounce to protect your own creature in response to a removal spell, and then strap an Edict to that "counter" for some card advantage (thanks to Toad for pointing out the value of that play during discussion). Very flexible spell, with two very powerful casting options.
Verdict: Personally, I support both tempo and the artifact.dec in my Dimir sections, so this card would settle in at 630 for my own personal cube. But for cubes that don't play one (or either) of those decktypes, this card could fit into 540 cubes quite nicely (or even 450 if you don't support either of those two archetypes).
This card is really cool in a few ways. First, it's a pretty sick topdeck for Gruul ramp decks. But secondly (and more importantly) this card can do a huge amount of damage on curve. Even when you play him for 3 mana, on T4 you can add 2 +1/+1 counters and have him swing for 6. And then on T5 you can add 2 more counters and have him swing for 10. With nothing but lands and this hydra, you can deal 16 damage to your opponent by the end of your 5th turn. It's hard to ignore that kind of potential damage output. Not to mention how much bigger he can be if you have a T1 mana dork! This guy hits HARD.
Verdict: Personally, I would be testing this card at anything bigger than 450. I don't know where it will ultimately settle, but I have a feeling it could be a 540-630 caliber card without much of a stretch.
Rakdos Shred-Freak was a disappointment. The mana cost proved to be too restrictive for him to be used as anything other than a RB card. And in that deck, the 2/1 body seemed underwhelming given his restrictions. Jester is the fixed version of that card. With even a single removal spell available on T3, you can get in for 6-9 damage with this guy in most of your matchups. Outside of the 4 stellar options in Rakdos, this seems to float to the top of the Tier 2 card pool for BR.
Verdict: This would be my #5 Rakdos card, and I'd play it at 540.
Take a second to break down the actual value on this card. It's basically a Sleep that also hits their noncreautre permanents (including their 'walkers). It shuts off a full round of blocking, and then a full round of attacking (plus a full round of activated abilities). That effect is arguably worth 4 mana on its own (perhaps 3 mana for cube purposes). So for the extra 1 mana (or 2 mana by cube standards) you get a 4/4 creature strapped to the effect. I think that's a bargain and a half. It's ready for abuse, it can set up soft-locks, it has a very relevant body and adds a clock to your opponent. Good stuff. I think it'll play just fine in WU midrange decks or as a lone 5cc curve-topper for aggro/tempo decks.
Verdict: I would play this at 540 for sure, as I feel it's the 5th best Azorius card. But even cubes that are slightly smaller might find room (450 if you don't support blink [Venser] or tempo/aggro [Geist]; maybe 360 if you don't support either).
This one is tough to evaluate. It has three overcosted modes, that may add up to something quite valuable given the flexibility on the card. It can be a 3-power beater for 3 mana. It can add 3 extra player damage onto an unblocked creature. It can be used as a combat trick when your creatures are blocked (to trade up or protect your creature). But most importantly, it may have the option be be reused in any of those modes because it can be brought back into your hand when you deal combat damage to players. The costs are high on all the modes, but the potential to generate card advantage in red and get some reach, combat prowess and additional mid-late game repeatable threats, I think it will be pretty good.
Verdict: Honestly, I think it'll either be feast or famine with this guy. I don't know if it's going to be more of a mid-sized filler card for 540+ sized cubes, or if it'll play more like a 360 staple. I'm calling it a 450 test card for now, but I have high hopes for it.
I was pretty much in love with this card when I first saw it spoiled. It's got 2-power for 2-mana, it has a splashable cost, it's a zombie, and it has a relevant ability that can generate big-time advantages if he's left alone. He's kind of a lightning rod when he comes down (your opponent doesn't want to concede Arena mode on a 2-drop) but that's okay. If he eats removal, who cares? It only cost you 2 mana. If he trades in combat, who cares? You still killed one of their creatures for your 2-mana investment, and you're not likely to come up behind there. But what about the other cases? When he's left alone, you will likely have the opportunity to go hellbent in the decks that want to play this creature (low curve aggressive decks, etc). So far in testing, he's gone from only drawing 1-card to drawing upwards of 3+ cards in a single game. I have always wanted a 2cc 2/1 zombie Phyrexian Rager (one of the dream cards I hope for the most for the cube). Until that card is printed (and perhaps even after) this guy does a pretty good job of imitating that on average.
Verdict: I don't know if this will squeeze into the majority of the 360 lists out there, but I am very comfortable saying that it belongs in 450 for sure.
When I look to evaluate the perfect traditional control finisher, I look for three things. 1) I want the clock to be reliable (give the threat evasion). 2) I need the threat to be reliable (some sort of built-in protection that keeps it alive). And 3) I want the card to protect me as well (lifelink, vigilance ...something to preserve my life total while reducing my opponent's). This card is one of the select few that has all three of those attributes. Other finishing options are usually better than Aetherling in 1-2 of those functions, but there are no other cards that can do all three of those things as well as he can. He's expensive, but he's well worth it. It's the last card I'll need to resolve in the game. It has 8 (that's right, eight) unblockable damage on the attack, it can provide me with a reasonable blocking creature to preserve my life total, and it's damn-near unkillable in the cube.
Verdict: I think this is the absolute best pure control finisher available in the cube. I would play this at 450 for certain, but I could definitely see 360 card cubes playing this card if they still support a traditional draw-go style of control.
Sometimes a card will get printed and you'll think to yourself "that card has no business seeing print at that mana cost." Well, Voice is that card for this set. For 2 mana, you get a 2/2 beater that basically shuts off all of your opponent's instant speed play, and provides you with a free Beast of Burden when it dies. In the very worst case scenario, it'll play like a Bear with persist. On average, it'll play more like a Bear with undying. But more importantly, it throws a monkey-wrench into your opponent's instant-speed spellcasting, and has a massive impact against control (which is really important for Selesnya midrange decks).
Verdict: I would think this card would see play even at 360 (despite the insane competition at the Selesnya top end) but if not, it's a 450 staple.
Izzet needed help. Izzet needed a card you could snag from the first pack and say "I'm playing RU now"! This card is exactly what I wanted. Whenever a planeswalker gets printed that can be compared to Ajani Vengeant, I get pretty excited about its applications for the cube. And this is essentially Izzet's take on Ajani V. The +1 can be used to tap down blockers or tie up their countermagic mana. It can also be used to untap your creatures (so they can defend Ral in combat) or to untap lands/mana rocks to ramp/fix your mana. It may also allow you to get some extra activated abilities out of a card (which could be really powerful from time to time). His -2 ability gives you repeatable Lightning Bolts. And his ultimate is plain silly. Plus, he has a great amount of starting loyalty. I have nothing bad to say about Ral Zarek at all.
Verdict: Every cube of every size should play this planeswalker. It's far and away the best Izzet card, and one of the best overall multicolor cards.
I agree with your assessment completely. But for me, I'm testing Voice of Resurgence and Pyrewild Shaman. I'm not sure if Voice makes it into top 3, but I'll see after some testing. I like him a lot as a card.
I agree with your assessment completely. But for me, I'm testing Voice of Resurgence and Pyrewild Shaman. I'm not sure if Voice makes it into top 3, but I'll see after some testing. I like him a lot as a card.
I did mention that it could wind up as a 450 card depending on how things shake down. Glad to see you're testing him though.
I really wish Gaze of Granite would only cost xBG.
I don't think Tithe Drinker should make it so high. Or into the top 20 at all. I'd rather cube with Syndic of Tithe, since being monocolor makes it much more flexible to play and easier to include in a cube.
Very thoughtful and well written analysis.
I have enjoyed and rely on all of your previous set previews and this one is no exception, thank you so much for all you give to the cube community!
Couple of minor disagreements is that I would put Aetherling at #2 and Voice of Resurgence little bit lower and Spike Jester a little bit higher.
Ral Zarek is by far and away the best Izzet card ever made, slam dunk into any cube, #1 card from this set no doubt.
Aetherling is pretty much slam dunk 360 material for me, it the best actual finisher in blue in terms of killing your opponent and winning the game, so its #2 for me.
Voice of Resurgence although extremely powerful, it just faces INSANE competition from the top end Selesnya cards so it just misses 360 cutoff for me being the 4th best Selesnya card. Any 400+ card cube should probably play this card.
Spike Jester has a chance of making it into a 360 cube competing for the 3rd best Rakdos card, for that reason, it should probably be a top 5 card from this set.
Blood Scrivener is a card that I had initially missed, but after reading your review, noticing he's a zombie and thinking about it, pretty sure he will be making it into my cube. So this is probably the #3 card in the set for me.
I don't think Tithe Drinker should make it so high. Or into the top 20 at all. I'd rather cube with Syndic of Tithe, since being monocolor makes it much more flexible to play and easier to include in a cube.
It's more flexible, but I don't think it's good. Tithe Drinker has a chance to gain a significant amount of life over the course of the game. I like it a lot more than the french vanilla extort bear.
Very thoughtful and well written analysis.
I have enjoyed and rely on all of your previous set previews and this one is no exception, thank you so much for all you give to the cube community!
Aetherling is pretty much slam dunk 360 material for me, it the best actual finisher in blue in terms of killing your opponent and winning the game, so its #2 for me.
I'm glad to see you like him as much as I do. Not all groups play dedicated control decks anymore, so I wanted to be safe with the review and keep it 450 with maybe a 360.
Voice of Resurgence although extremely powerful, it just faces INSANE competition from the top end Selesnya cards so it just misses 360 cutoff for me being the 4th best Selesnya card. Any 400+ card cube should probably play this card.
I think it could either be the 3rd or 4th best, which is why the review had it at 360-450.
Spike Jester has a chance of making it into a 360 cube competing for the 3rd best Rakdos card, for that reason, it should probably be a top 5 card from this set.
I really don't think it does. In fact, I don't think it can even remotely compete with the #4 Rakdos card right now. In my opinion, there's Cackler, Dreadbore, Redcap and Aristocrat as the great BR cards. Then there's an abrupt drop in power level, and a huge pool of Tier 2 cards. I think he's at the top of those tier 2 cards. So he's clearly a #5 card for me at the very best.
Blood Scrivener is a card that I had initially missed, but after reading your review, noticing he's a zombie and thinking about it, pretty sure he will be making it into my cube. So this is probably the #3 card in the set for me.
Glad the review helped you find a card you might have otherwise missed. I think this guy is pretty good, and he's been playing quite solidly so far.
I agree with everything except plasm captures place on the list. Without any testing, I feel like it may merit a slot in medium to smaller cubes. Simic isn't the greatest of guilds, but plasm capture is a pretty damn good spell. 2 turns later for any color mana, and a little bit of balancing? I think its about fair.
Simic has quite a few good creatures and I think that Mystic Snake is better than Plasm Capture and should always be run before it. Capture is just a tad too fair to break the top 5 of Simic cards.
I'm also surprised by the high ranking of Tithe Drinker. It's possible that peasant is just too different from traditional cubes, but I think it compares poorly to Kingpin's Pet as a gold extort creature. I'm assuming that its 2/1 body makes it hard to get it into the combat situations where you can trigger the lifelink and survive.
I really don't think it does. In fact, I don't think it can even remotely compete with the #4 Rakdos card right now. In my opinion, there's Cackler, Dreadbore, Redcap and Aristocrat as the great BR cards. Then there's an abrupt drop in power level, and a huge pool of Tier 2 cards. I think he's at the top of those tier 2 cards. So he's clearly a #5 card for me at the very best.
Cackler and Redcap are #1 and #2.
the 3rd spot is kind fuzzy for me between Aristocrat, Spike Jester and Dreadbore, those 3 are a big powerlevel dropoff from the top 2 Rakdos but pretty close in power level to eachother imho.
I agree with everything except plasm captures place on the list. Without any testing, I feel like it may merit a slot in medium to smaller cubes. Simic isn't the greatest of guilds, but plasm capture is a pretty damn good spell. 2 turns later for any color mana, and a little bit of balancing? I think its about fair.
We just disagree about the quality of other Simic cards then. Because I think that Simic's top shelf is just as competitive as almost any other guild out there, and cracking the top 4-5 cards with something like Plasm Capture just isn't going to happen.
But like I said in the review, some people will be in love with the effect, and it will find its way into tighter lists because of that.
Simic has quite a few good creatures and I think that Mystic Snake is better than Plasm Capture and should always be run before it. Capture is just a tad too fair to break the top 5 of Simic cards.
I agree. I don't think the top 4-5 Simic cards are so easily cracked.
I'm also surprised by the high ranking of Tithe Drinker. It's possible that peasant is just too different from traditional cubes, but I think it compares poorly to Kingpin's Pet as a gold extort creature. I'm assuming that its 2/1 body makes it hard to get it into the combat situations where you can trigger the lifelink and survive.
Well, the Pet is okay for C/Ubes maybe, but it won't hack it in a faster environment.
I don't think that Drinker is an amazing card. I think that it has a chance to compete with other mid-tier Orzhov cards because it has a chance to make really big impacts with the amount of lifegain that it could bring. Play a removal spell and extort, and then swing at your opponent. That play creates a life swing of 6 life. I don't consider that to be irrelevant.
Cackler and Redcap are #1 and #2.
the 3rd spot is kind fuzzy for me between Aristocrat, Spike Jester and Dreadbore, those 3 are a big powerlevel dropoff from the top 2 Rakdos but pretty close in power level to eachother imho.
Interesting. I think that Aristocrat (and especially Dreadbore) are much better than the 3/1.
Great review as always. If you had a link in these reviews to your other ones that would be awesome. I agree in a large part with your picks last time but I think I may have changed on a few.
Great review as always. If you had a link in these reviews to your other ones that would be awesome. I agree in a large part with your picks last time but I think I may have changed on a few.
There are links to all of these reviews in the OP of my cube thread.
But these are set previews anyways, made more for a moment in time than for posterity's sake.
Like others, I'm more optimistic about how Spike Jester will play in my cube than you are. I think his inclusion will depend in large part on how multicoloured cards are classified in a cube.
I'm really tempted by Plasm Capture. U/G ramp, using a combination of artifact and green ramp, possibly with Tinker/Natural Order, and reaching the late game under cover of counterspells is quite a strong archetype in my cube and is represented very nicely by this card.
"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
The only thing I think could be mentioned as a possible 720+ card is Advent of the Wurm. I think it's better than the other 720 cube cards on your list.
Looks like a solid list. Id put Advent of the Wurm on there, even tho GW is so stacked it would not get played at smaller than 720. Im going to try the new Mana Drain, just because its a fair card and I love the effect.
Your telling me out of 20 cards, you would put in a Rot Farm Skeleton over Advent the Wurm, Skylasher, or Catch? Remind me to never draft the cube with that Rot Farm in it.
Like others, I'm more optimistic about how Spike Jester will play in my cube than you are. I think his inclusion will depend in large part on how multicoloured cards are classified in a cube.
I'm really tempted by Plasm Capture. U/G ramp, using a combination of artifact and green ramp, possibly with Tinker/Natural Order, and reaching the late game under cover of counterspells is quite a strong archetype in my cube and is represented very nicely by this card.
As always, well written review.
Thanks, glad you liked it.
Jester seems good, but I can't see it ousting the top 4 cards.
Plasm capture is really cool. I see the appeal in wanting to test it in smaller lists. I just don't ultimately think it's going to hack it.
The only thing I think could be mentioned as a possible 720+ card is Advent of the Wurm. I think it's better than the other 720 cube cards on your list.
It may be better than those cards, but it's not better than the competition. It wouldn't be in my top 7 guild cards, so it wouldn't make the cut for me at 720.
Looks like a solid list. Id put Advent of the Wurm on there, even tho GW is so stacked it would not get played at smaller than 720. Im going to try the new Mana Drain, just because its a fair card and I love the effect.
It's a good card, but I think WG is too stacked. My cube would have to be enormous before I'd consider it.
Would you care to provide some commentary with substance? I'd love to hear your criticisms, aside from simply calling the list garbage. What kind of cube do you manage? What would your top 20 look like? What do you think is grossly under/overvalued?
Your telling me out of 20 cards, you would put in a Rot Farm Skeleton over Advent the Wurm, Skylasher, or Catch? Remind me to never draft the cube with that Rot Farm in it.
Again, what is with this list?
The cards are based on their values as to how they contribute to the cube. Advent is a better card than Skeleton, but it has a harder time breaking into the cube because the competition at the WG section is better than that in the BG section. That, and the Skeleton plays to the decktypes that Golgari drafts better than Advent plays to the typical WG deck.
And Slylasher is a sideboard only card. I have no need for Ashcoat Bear in my cube.
And I think Catch sucks. It's about on par with Word of Seizing; a card that has no business in cubes anymore.
This is my 5th installment of the "top 20" set preview articles.
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!
Plasm Capture
This is a fair Mana Drain. If the original card was costed appropriately, this is probably a lot closer to what it would look like. The nice thing about this card is that it produces more than just colorless mana, so you can cast pretty much any spell with the extra mana it generates.
Verdict: I think the spell is good, but not great. Simic is relatively deep, but I could see this card maybe being the 8th or so best card in its section, making it a card that would go in cubes ~810 cards or so. Maybe even 900. But, it's a really fun and flavorful card, so people who really like the effect may play it in cubes that are even smaller.
Legion's Initiative
I think this card is very interesting. It's a pseudo-Anthem variant with a built-in way to protect your army from wrath effects. If this was +1/+1 for all your red and white creatures, it would be quite a bit better, but it can add some clock and protect your army, so I don't think it's a terrible option for larger cubes.
Verdict: Boros isn't as weak as it used to be, but I could see this card being the 8th best card in Boros for some cubes, putting it in the 810 or so range for cube sizes.
Rot Farm Skeleton
This creature is really cool. If it had the ability to block, I'd consider playing it even in small cubes, but when you look at him, he's still pretty solid. He's an unkillable 4-power attacker that has synergy with all types of graveyard based decks, and Pox/Stax builds to boot. Seems like a fun card to sac to an effect because he can always come back, and he's friends with Skullclamp and the like.
Verdict: Golgari is a DEEP guild now with a lot of great options. But if your group uses BG for graveyard/loam/pox/stax type play, this could crack larger lists for sure. If you support the kinds of decks that want this guy, he could squeeze into the #8 spot in Golgari, and maybe sneak into some 810+ cubes.
Exava, Rakdos Blood Witch
There was a time that a 4/4 first strike haste for 4 mana would've been a pipe dream, but sadly, those days are long gone. Rakdos decks have a glut of good aggressive curve-topping options, and while Exava is good, I don't think she's good enough to compete in the smaller lists. However, she's exactly what most Rakdos decks are looking for, so in larger cubes that want to expand the shelf of good aggressive curve-toppers, she's a gift.
Verdict: I don't think that BR has a ton of amazing options outside of the top 4 cards. So this card gets added to the expansive group of tier-2 Rakdos cards. I think it does exactly what I want my BR creatures to do, so I would consider this card probably the #7 Rakdos card. I'd play it at 720, personally.
Ruric Thar, the Unbowed
I don't think this creature is particularly great, but there aren't many good 6cc creature options in either red or green for larger cubes. A 6/6 vigilance reach monster that hits them for 6 if they try and remove it is nothing to scoff at.
Verdict: Larger cubes might be wanting for 6cc creatures in the Gruul ramp decks, and this guy could just be the answer to plug that hole. I'd play him in a 720 card cube if that cube is looking for a creature like this to drop at the top of the curve.
Progenitor Mimic
This is a very fun creature. Clone effects are largely underrepresented in the cube, because not enough of them have the ability to really ensure a strong investment. This guy, on the other hand, certainly can. He can pass the Vindicate test by copying an ETB creature, and he can run away with the game entirely if he's left unchecked for even a few turns.
Verdict: Simic has a pretty deep top shelf, but this creature can certainly give all the other tier 2 options a run for their money. I would probably test this card in a 720 card cube and see if it has what it takes to permanently steal a top-7 Simic slot.
Scion of Vitu-Ghazi
5cc army-in-a-can creatures have been done a few times in white now ...and they're all pretty darn good. This one too, is very solid. It has a 4/4 baseline for a body, and it makes 2 1/1 flying tokens. So that's 6 power with partial evasion for 5 mana. Now it has the downside of not functioning well with blink effects because it's not a true ETB trigger, but it still works with bounce. It also has the upside of having the populate trigger randomly hit something better than a 1/1 token, which can definitely happen from time to time.
Verdict: I think that white's top 5-drops are great, but for larger cubes looking for more Cloudgoat/GHM variants, this one could squeeze in that the back of the 5cc creature section for 720+ card cubes.
Gaze of Granite
Whenever discussion about a card starts of with "it's kinda like Pernicious Deed, but" ...the card warrants some close evaluation. Deed is better. A lot better. However, surgical sweeper spells can be very powerful, and black/green is equipped with a lot of tools to make the effect even more asymmetrical. Deed can sweep at a later time, requiring less mana investment at one time. But as a late-game spell, Gaze hits Planeswalkers in addition to the other cards hit by Deed, and that can be clutch. I think it's a very good Death Cloud type variant, and it should play better than people expect it to.
Verdict: I think this has the potential to be the 7th best Golgari card, and I would play it at 720 for sure.
Tithe Drinker
This is a lot of lifegain strapped to a 2-drop. If one of the two abilities had been exchanged for either First Strike or Flying, I'd probably slam this thing into even the smallest of lists. But as it is, the creature can be fragile in combat, but with a little finesse, it might be able to earn its keep.
Verdict: Orzhov has a lot of cards of similar power level once you break out of the 3 cube staples. I think that Tithe Drinker has the ability to compete with most of those options. I think it can end up falling somewhere in the 630-720 range.
Turn // Burn
Izzet doesn't have a ton of ways to deal with really big creatures. 5-mana is a lot, but it does allow you to kill pretty much anything. But I think this card has more value as a combat trick. Being able to Ovinize something during combat and Shock another creature can create some pretty savage blowouts, and give you card advantage.
Verdict: Izzet is notoriously light on great cards. Outside of the 5 really good cards in that guild, this could easily settle in the #6 slot, making it a solid 630 card in my book.
Toil // Trouble
I think this is the Fuse card that they actually pushed the hardest. Neither mode is strictly worse than its mono-colored variant, and it has nice synergy with itself. Sometimes the opportunity will present itself to Lava Axe your opponent for 2R. In other cases, you can always use it to draw some cards. Or at the end of your curve, you can Fuse it against your opponent for some big-time finishing damage.
Verdict: I don't think Rakdos is particularly strong the deeper you go, and this could easily settle in as the #6 Rakdos card. I'd play it at 630.
Far // Away
Despite not being pushed as hard as Toil // Trouble, I think this is the best Fuse card in this set (for the cube). It has 4 casting options, and two of them are pretty good. When you can have a big impact on your opponent's board by bouncing a threat and Edicting another, it can be a big time spell. Especially with the nice synergy the two halves have with each other. Additionally, the spell is quite powerful if you use the bounce to protect your own creature in response to a removal spell, and then strap an Edict to that "counter" for some card advantage (thanks to Toad for pointing out the value of that play during discussion). Very flexible spell, with two very powerful casting options.
Verdict: Personally, I support both tempo and the artifact.dec in my Dimir sections, so this card would settle in at 630 for my own personal cube. But for cubes that don't play one (or either) of those decktypes, this card could fit into 540 cubes quite nicely (or even 450 if you don't support either of those two archetypes).
Savageborn Hydra
This card is really cool in a few ways. First, it's a pretty sick topdeck for Gruul ramp decks. But secondly (and more importantly) this card can do a huge amount of damage on curve. Even when you play him for 3 mana, on T4 you can add 2 +1/+1 counters and have him swing for 6. And then on T5 you can add 2 more counters and have him swing for 10. With nothing but lands and this hydra, you can deal 16 damage to your opponent by the end of your 5th turn. It's hard to ignore that kind of potential damage output. Not to mention how much bigger he can be if you have a T1 mana dork! This guy hits HARD.
Verdict: Personally, I would be testing this card at anything bigger than 450. I don't know where it will ultimately settle, but I have a feeling it could be a 540-630 caliber card without much of a stretch.
Spike Jester
Rakdos Shred-Freak was a disappointment. The mana cost proved to be too restrictive for him to be used as anything other than a RB card. And in that deck, the 2/1 body seemed underwhelming given his restrictions. Jester is the fixed version of that card. With even a single removal spell available on T3, you can get in for 6-9 damage with this guy in most of your matchups. Outside of the 4 stellar options in Rakdos, this seems to float to the top of the Tier 2 card pool for BR.
Verdict: This would be my #5 Rakdos card, and I'd play it at 540.
Lavinia of the Tenth
Take a second to break down the actual value on this card. It's basically a Sleep that also hits their noncreautre permanents (including their 'walkers). It shuts off a full round of blocking, and then a full round of attacking (plus a full round of activated abilities). That effect is arguably worth 4 mana on its own (perhaps 3 mana for cube purposes). So for the extra 1 mana (or 2 mana by cube standards) you get a 4/4 creature strapped to the effect. I think that's a bargain and a half. It's ready for abuse, it can set up soft-locks, it has a very relevant body and adds a clock to your opponent. Good stuff. I think it'll play just fine in WU midrange decks or as a lone 5cc curve-topper for aggro/tempo decks.
Verdict: I would play this at 540 for sure, as I feel it's the 5th best Azorius card. But even cubes that are slightly smaller might find room (450 if you don't support blink [Venser] or tempo/aggro [Geist]; maybe 360 if you don't support either).
Pyrewild Shaman
This one is tough to evaluate. It has three overcosted modes, that may add up to something quite valuable given the flexibility on the card. It can be a 3-power beater for 3 mana. It can add 3 extra player damage onto an unblocked creature. It can be used as a combat trick when your creatures are blocked (to trade up or protect your creature). But most importantly, it may have the option be be reused in any of those modes because it can be brought back into your hand when you deal combat damage to players. The costs are high on all the modes, but the potential to generate card advantage in red and get some reach, combat prowess and additional mid-late game repeatable threats, I think it will be pretty good.
Verdict: Honestly, I think it'll either be feast or famine with this guy. I don't know if it's going to be more of a mid-sized filler card for 540+ sized cubes, or if it'll play more like a 360 staple. I'm calling it a 450 test card for now, but I have high hopes for it.
Blood Scrivener
I was pretty much in love with this card when I first saw it spoiled. It's got 2-power for 2-mana, it has a splashable cost, it's a zombie, and it has a relevant ability that can generate big-time advantages if he's left alone. He's kind of a lightning rod when he comes down (your opponent doesn't want to concede Arena mode on a 2-drop) but that's okay. If he eats removal, who cares? It only cost you 2 mana. If he trades in combat, who cares? You still killed one of their creatures for your 2-mana investment, and you're not likely to come up behind there. But what about the other cases? When he's left alone, you will likely have the opportunity to go hellbent in the decks that want to play this creature (low curve aggressive decks, etc). So far in testing, he's gone from only drawing 1-card to drawing upwards of 3+ cards in a single game. I have always wanted a 2cc 2/1 zombie Phyrexian Rager (one of the dream cards I hope for the most for the cube). Until that card is printed (and perhaps even after) this guy does a pretty good job of imitating that on average.
Verdict: I don't know if this will squeeze into the majority of the 360 lists out there, but I am very comfortable saying that it belongs in 450 for sure.
Aetherling
When I look to evaluate the perfect traditional control finisher, I look for three things. 1) I want the clock to be reliable (give the threat evasion). 2) I need the threat to be reliable (some sort of built-in protection that keeps it alive). And 3) I want the card to protect me as well (lifelink, vigilance ...something to preserve my life total while reducing my opponent's). This card is one of the select few that has all three of those attributes. Other finishing options are usually better than Aetherling in 1-2 of those functions, but there are no other cards that can do all three of those things as well as he can. He's expensive, but he's well worth it. It's the last card I'll need to resolve in the game. It has 8 (that's right, eight) unblockable damage on the attack, it can provide me with a reasonable blocking creature to preserve my life total, and it's damn-near unkillable in the cube.
Verdict: I think this is the absolute best pure control finisher available in the cube. I would play this at 450 for certain, but I could definitely see 360 card cubes playing this card if they still support a traditional draw-go style of control.
Voice of Resurgence
Sometimes a card will get printed and you'll think to yourself "that card has no business seeing print at that mana cost." Well, Voice is that card for this set. For 2 mana, you get a 2/2 beater that basically shuts off all of your opponent's instant speed play, and provides you with a free Beast of Burden when it dies. In the very worst case scenario, it'll play like a Bear with persist. On average, it'll play more like a Bear with undying. But more importantly, it throws a monkey-wrench into your opponent's instant-speed spellcasting, and has a massive impact against control (which is really important for Selesnya midrange decks).
Verdict: I would think this card would see play even at 360 (despite the insane competition at the Selesnya top end) but if not, it's a 450 staple.
Ral Zarek
Izzet needed help. Izzet needed a card you could snag from the first pack and say "I'm playing RU now"! This card is exactly what I wanted. Whenever a planeswalker gets printed that can be compared to Ajani Vengeant, I get pretty excited about its applications for the cube. And this is essentially Izzet's take on Ajani V. The +1 can be used to tap down blockers or tie up their countermagic mana. It can also be used to untap your creatures (so they can defend Ral in combat) or to untap lands/mana rocks to ramp/fix your mana. It may also allow you to get some extra activated abilities out of a card (which could be really powerful from time to time). His -2 ability gives you repeatable Lightning Bolts. And his ultimate is plain silly. Plus, he has a great amount of starting loyalty. I have nothing bad to say about Ral Zarek at all.
Verdict: Every cube of every size should play this planeswalker. It's far and away the best Izzet card, and one of the best overall multicolor cards.
Hope you enjoyed the preview! Thanks for reading!
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I did mention that it could wind up as a 450 card depending on how things shake down. Glad to see you're testing him though.
Thanks for commenting!
Glad you liked it. Cheers!
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I really wish Gaze of Granite would only cost xBG.
I don't think Tithe Drinker should make it so high. Or into the top 20 at all. I'd rather cube with Syndic of Tithe, since being monocolor makes it much more flexible to play and easier to include in a cube.
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I have enjoyed and rely on all of your previous set previews and this one is no exception, thank you so much for all you give to the cube community!
Couple of minor disagreements is that I would put Aetherling at #2 and Voice of Resurgence little bit lower and Spike Jester a little bit higher.
Ral Zarek is by far and away the best Izzet card ever made, slam dunk into any cube, #1 card from this set no doubt.
Aetherling is pretty much slam dunk 360 material for me, it the best actual finisher in blue in terms of killing your opponent and winning the game, so its #2 for me.
Voice of Resurgence although extremely powerful, it just faces INSANE competition from the top end Selesnya cards so it just misses 360 cutoff for me being the 4th best Selesnya card. Any 400+ card cube should probably play this card.
Spike Jester has a chance of making it into a 360 cube competing for the 3rd best Rakdos card, for that reason, it should probably be a top 5 card from this set.
Blood Scrivener is a card that I had initially missed, but after reading your review, noticing he's a zombie and thinking about it, pretty sure he will be making it into my cube. So this is probably the #3 card in the set for me.
You're welcome. Glad to see your assessments are close to mine.
Thanks!
Oh ya, the card would be super sick if that was the case.
It's more flexible, but I don't think it's good. Tithe Drinker has a chance to gain a significant amount of life over the course of the game. I like it a lot more than the french vanilla extort bear.
Happy to see you enjoyed it!
I could see maybe swapping Aetherling and Voice, but I think the Jester is right where he should be.
Absolutely.
I'm glad to see you like him as much as I do. Not all groups play dedicated control decks anymore, so I wanted to be safe with the review and keep it 450 with maybe a 360.
I think it could either be the 3rd or 4th best, which is why the review had it at 360-450.
I really don't think it does. In fact, I don't think it can even remotely compete with the #4 Rakdos card right now. In my opinion, there's Cackler, Dreadbore, Redcap and Aristocrat as the great BR cards. Then there's an abrupt drop in power level, and a huge pool of Tier 2 cards. I think he's at the top of those tier 2 cards. So he's clearly a #5 card for me at the very best.
Glad the review helped you find a card you might have otherwise missed. I think this guy is pretty good, and he's been playing quite solidly so far.
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http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=484979
Uril, the Miststalker RGW -- Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre C -- Vhati il-Dal BG -- Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer RW -- Animar, Soul of Elements URG
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker R -- Maga, Traitor to Mortals B -- Ghave, Guru of Spores BGW -- Sliver Hivelord WUBRG
Cackler and Redcap are #1 and #2.
the 3rd spot is kind fuzzy for me between Aristocrat, Spike Jester and Dreadbore, those 3 are a big powerlevel dropoff from the top 2 Rakdos but pretty close in power level to eachother imho.
We just disagree about the quality of other Simic cards then. Because I think that Simic's top shelf is just as competitive as almost any other guild out there, and cracking the top 4-5 cards with something like Plasm Capture just isn't going to happen.
But like I said in the review, some people will be in love with the effect, and it will find its way into tighter lists because of that.
I agree. I don't think the top 4-5 Simic cards are so easily cracked.
Well, the Pet is okay for C/Ubes maybe, but it won't hack it in a faster environment.
I don't think that Drinker is an amazing card. I think that it has a chance to compete with other mid-tier Orzhov cards because it has a chance to make really big impacts with the amount of lifegain that it could bring. Play a removal spell and extort, and then swing at your opponent. That play creates a life swing of 6 life. I don't consider that to be irrelevant.
Interesting. I think that Aristocrat (and especially Dreadbore) are much better than the 3/1.
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There are links to all of these reviews in the OP of my cube thread.
But these are set previews anyways, made more for a moment in time than for posterity's sake.
Glad you liked the review! Thanks for commenting.
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I'm really tempted by Plasm Capture. U/G ramp, using a combination of artifact and green ramp, possibly with Tinker/Natural Order, and reaching the late game under cover of counterspells is quite a strong archetype in my cube and is represented very nicely by this card.
As always, well written review.
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I agree with most of your selections, and will probably acquire the top 5 for my 450.
Again, what is with this list?
Thanks, glad you liked it.
Jester seems good, but I can't see it ousting the top 4 cards.
Plasm capture is really cool. I see the appeal in wanting to test it in smaller lists. I just don't ultimately think it's going to hack it.
It may be better than those cards, but it's not better than the competition. It wouldn't be in my top 7 guild cards, so it wouldn't make the cut for me at 720.
I think all of the 2nd tier cards are all comparable, and if you want a super life-gaining 2-drop, Drinker could be a good option for you.
It's a good card, but I think WG is too stacked. My cube would have to be enormous before I'd consider it.
Happy to hear you liked it. I am playing exactly those top 5 in my 450.
I wish I could say the same?
Would you care to provide some commentary with substance? I'd love to hear your criticisms, aside from simply calling the list garbage. What kind of cube do you manage? What would your top 20 look like? What do you think is grossly under/overvalued?
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The cards are based on their values as to how they contribute to the cube. Advent is a better card than Skeleton, but it has a harder time breaking into the cube because the competition at the WG section is better than that in the BG section. That, and the Skeleton plays to the decktypes that Golgari drafts better than Advent plays to the typical WG deck.
And Slylasher is a sideboard only card. I have no need for Ashcoat Bear in my cube.
And I think Catch sucks. It's about on par with Word of Seizing; a card that has no business in cubes anymore.
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Agreed. A quick look at his other posts show a general lack of critical thinking skills along with his trolling comments. Just ignore.
I was just trying to open up some legitimate dialogue. Perhaps you're right though. That poster may not be looking for any of that.
Thanks for the thanks! These preview articles are fun to write.
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