Wednesday 31 December 2014

New Year's Thingy

Happy New Year and whatnot. Just thought I'd let people know my plans for this blog in 2015:

- Fewer, longer updates: As I'm sure you've noticed, I've been a little slack with my updates as of late. I've recently started a very physical job that sometimes has me working 10 hours a day, so I'm often really tired when I get home. This means I'm not up for brain-thinking stuff when I get home during the week. So my plan is going to be this: 1-2 updates per week, but much more thought out and thus more reasoning behind it.

- More "help" posts: Looking at my blogger analytics, I'm seeing that my most popular posts are my EDH help posts. Therefore, I have be writing out a few new help posts and will be putting more of those up in the coming year.

- Better rating system: Basically, I'm going to be overhauling my star rating system so that it's easier for me to rate cards and easier for readers to determine what the ratings mean.

- Revisits: Yeah, I'll probably be lazy and revisit some of my old reviews again this year. Not really a big surprise.

Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me since the beginning (or even a month)! And to everyone else, here's to 2015!

Weave Fate

Weave Fate

Hi there Inspiration! How's it going? Is it still worth it for a slightly more expensive yet faster Divination? Nope, not really. I think I speak for most players when I say I'd rather draw those two cards a turn earlier instead of on an opponent's turn. It is cool to see new art on this card though. I thought the art from Return to Ravnica sucked. 

Pros: Instant-speed card draw
Cons: Costs 4
Rating: 2/5

Tuesday 30 December 2014

Cruel Fate

Cruel Fate

The best I can do for this card is to hold my head in my hands, making a dejected mewling noise, and mumble something about Second Sight being better.

Pros: Rearranges an opponent's cards, mills one
Cons: Sorcery, costs 5
Replacement: Second Sight in all cases
Rating: 0/5

Monday 29 December 2014

Just Fate

Just Fate

Not the greatest removal spell out there. It's a really restrictive Rebuke (since you can only cast it on your turn before blockers) and that's not a good thing. At least it's not Sandstone Deadfall. I think that's the best thing I can say about it.

Pros: Removal spell, not Sandstone Deadfall
Cons: Restrictive Rebuke
Rating: 1.5/5

Sunday 21 December 2014

Rumbling Slum

Rumbling Slum

You want to talk about a pressure card? For starters, this guy is a 5/5 for 4, which is already above-average since most creatures are are power = CMC. But the ability on this card is what makes this a real pressure card. Even though it's dealing you the damage as well, it can really put you ahead in the race. The only real problem I have with this card is that it's really colour-intensive. I know that making this 2RG would probably make it a bit too powerful for what it is, but it might be a challenge to cast sometimes. Otherwise, I like this card.

Pros: 5/5 for 4, constant damage
Cons: Colour-intensive
Rating: 3.5/5

Wednesday 17 December 2014

Psychic Spear

Psychic Spear

It's like Thoughtseize, only not. In block, this was pretty devastating in Limited, but outside it's pretty useless. I like my discard cards, but even I wouldn't consider putting this into anything. It's way too specific and it doesn't target anything of relevance in Modern, Legacy, or Vintage. A decent idea, let down by the things it targets.

Pros: Chosen discard
Cons: Extremely narrow scope
Rating: 1/5

Wednesday 10 December 2014

Coastal Drake

Coastal Drake

Yeah... no. This card is pretty bad. It's a 2/1 flyer for 3, which is not great to start. Add on to that an almost useless ability outside of block and you've got a pretty bad creature. It's a weaker Skywinder Drake and that's not too great.

Pros: 2/1 flyer
Cons: Costs 3, near useless ability
Rating: 1/5

Thursday 4 December 2014

Skullscorch

Skullscorch

I just got back into competitive Magic (Legacy to be specific) and I have a new favourite card. As a Mardu burn player, I can either run the standard discard cards like Hymn to TourachCabal Therapy, or Thoughtseize, but everyone is running those cards, so I thought I'd be different and run Hymn to Flame Rift instead. It gives a choice (something which a lot of players don't like giving), but both choices kind of suck to be on the receiving end of. If this card allowed the caster the modal choice, it might be a little too powerful, but where it is, I love it.

Pros: Hymn to Flame Rift
Cons: Allows target to choose
Rating: 4.5/5

Sunday 30 November 2014

Lymph Sliver

Lymph Sliver

I, for one, think Absorb is a great mechanic that should be brought back at some point. It essentially gives creatures some extra points of toughness each time something resolves, which is pretty cool. As for this card, I think it's pretty balanced. 5 mana for effectively a 3/4 that gives every other Sliver better +0/+1 is kind of powerful in the sense that it makes your Slivers that much harder to remove. That being said, a five-drop in a Sliver deck should just win you the game outright, like Thorncaster SliverSliver Overlord, or Sliver Legion. Still, this isn't a bad addition to a Sliver EDH.

Pros: Gives Absorb to Slivers
Cons: 5-drop that doesn't win the game
Rating: 3/5

Wednesday 26 November 2014

Balancing Act

Balancing Act

I like Balance-like cards because they really punish players who are running away with the game. Whilst this won't hurt, say, a token player as much as original Balance, it's a pretty solid substitute I think. Yeah, it costs double and doesn't specify permanent types but it can hit enchantments and artifacts so that's a bonus. Also, it's legal in all formats. That's a plus.

Pros: Balance that can force enchantment/artifact sacking
Cons: Doesn't force creature/land sack, costs twice as much as Balance
Rating: 3/5

Sunday 23 November 2014

Goblin Skycutter

Goblin Skycutter

Earthbind on a stick? Eh... That's not great. The 2 damage is nice, but I don't know if it's worth 2 mana especially since it only hits fliers. I'd much rather run either Arms Dealer for the continual damage output or Branching Bolt for versatility.

Pros: Sack for damage
Cons: Only hits fliers
Rating: 2/5

Thursday 20 November 2014

Ray of Revelation

Ray of Revelation

Hiya colourshifted Ancient Grudge! Although, this was the original so... Anyway, this card's pretty cool. Too bad it doesn't see a lot of play due to the lack of constructed playable enchantments (start fixing that WotC, but it's still a cool card in its own right.

Pros: Flashback
Cons: Doesn't cost 1 both times
Rating: 4.5/5

Saturday 15 November 2014

Stoic Angel

Stoic Angel

They should have called her Static Angel, amirite? *sigh* Bad puns aside, I really love this card. It's like Lightning Angel's mom or something like that. She's the same cost (effectively), has the same power/toughness, and she has two out of three of the same keywords. The only difference is she's slower but stricter. I like this card a lot, despite her effect hitting you as well.

Pros: Harsher Static Orb for creatures on Angel wings
Cons: Not a 4/4 for 4, effects you too
Rating: 4.5/5

Monday 10 November 2014

Poison the Well

Poison the Well

I like me some land destruction and the damaging kind is all the sweeter. This is a decent card, especially since it can be used in either mono-black, mono-red, or any deck running either colour, although the double colour requirement does kind of make it a bit worse than Despoil. Despite that, I still like this card. 

Pros: Land pop and Shock, colour flexibility
Cons: Double colour requirement
Rating: 3/5

Thursday 6 November 2014

Terra Ravager

Terra Ravager

I wish this had either haste or trample. If this connects, it'll hurt but it probably won't connect since it has no evasion. The other issue is that this won't kill anything when it's blocking. Yeah, it'll probably never be able to block because it's attacking, but it's still a slight negative (especially since it doesn't have haste). It's a cool idea, but I think it's a little weak.

Pros: Usually a big swing
Cons: No evasion, 0/4 outside of combat
Rating: 2/5

Monday 3 November 2014

Loathsome Catoblepas

Loathsome Catoblepas

Loathsome is definitely the right word to describe this thing. To start, it's a 3/3 for 6. Already, we're off to a terrible start and it only goes downhill from there. Next, it's got an okay ability ("okay" being relative to every other ability ever printed in Magic) but you have to pay for it, which isn't great. Finally, it has Ichor Slick as a death trigger, which is pretty good. However, to ensure that that Ichor Slick triggers, you have to pay 7BG and even then it might just get a gribbly thrown in front of it. Even for a common, this thing is bad. The only thing that saves it from complete rejection however, is that Ichor Slick. If you can sack this yourself at a key moment, you might find a use for it. Otherwise, disregard entirely.

Pros: Ichor Slick on death
Cons: 3/3 for 6, ability requires mana
Rating: 0.5/5

Thursday 30 October 2014

Kalonian Behemoth

Kalonian Behemoth

This thing is pretty awesome. Even if it were just a 9/9 without shroud, it'd be sweet since it'd still be a 9/9 for 7. With shroud, this becomes even better. Unfortunately, the shroud does prevent you from giving this any sort of evasion (save for mass evasion such as Fangren Pathcutter). However, this will force a creature sacrifice every turn even if it has no evasion. It's a pretty cool 7-drop.

Pros: 9/9 shroud for 7
Cons: No evasion
Rating: 4/5

Tuesday 28 October 2014

Tidal Wave

Tidal Wave

I like instant-speed Lava Axes for creatures, and that's basically what this is. Toss this in front of an unblocked creature and you'll probably end up trading with it. That said though, this does only produce a 5/5 wall for one turn, so unless you're being swung at, this won't be of much use to you.

Pros: Instant-speed blocker for 3
Cons: Only makes a wall, must sack at end of turn
Rating: 3/5

Saturday 25 October 2014

Scion of Glaciers

Scion of Glaciers

This is a good example of a decent, middle-of-the-road Limited uncommon. It doesn't do much when it hits the field, but it can be very versatile, depending on whether you're winning or losing. If you're losing, it can be a wall or be buffed to trade with one of your opponent's big things. If you're winning, it can swing in for a sizable amount of damage with a mana investment. It's also not bad if you're topdecking because it gives you a place to sink that unused mana every turn. However, this card is not that great if you've got cards in hand or if you're trying to win a race. It's a good card in certain situations, but a bad one in others.

Pros: Versatile
Cons: Requires mana for versatility
Rating: 2.5/5

Friday 24 October 2014

Progenitus

Progenitus

This card has protection for negative criticism, which is good because I don't really have much of that. On the flip side though, it also has protection from positive criticism, so I can't go into detail about why it's so good. Too bad, because I had some nice things to say about it, but protection from everything prevents me from saying anything targeted at this card.

Pros: Just look at it
Cons: "Everything" means everything
Rating: 5/5

Sunday 19 October 2014

Mind Spring

Mind Spring

Pretty good card. It's no Stroke of Genius, but it's still pretty good in its own right. It's one of those cards you're always going to be happy topdecking late in the game because it's going to refuel you and will probably let you push through to victory. It's just a solid card, despite being a sorcery.

Pros: Turns mana into cards
Cons: Sorcery
Rating: 4/5

Thursday 16 October 2014

Virtuous Charge

Virtuous Charge

A one-shot anthem? Not bad. The cost is alright and the effect is good. Shame that it's not an Instant though. That would make this a playable card. Unfortunately, it's a subpar card.

Pros: One-shot anthem
Cons: Sorcery
Rating: 2/5

Sunday 12 October 2014

Forked-Branch Garami

Forked-Branch Garami

Normally, I'd jump all over the chance to beat on Soulshift, as it tended to be a much-overcosted ability for what it did, but this is one of the few creatures that uses the keyword in a valuable way. Think of it like a restrictive double Raise Dead, which is pretty good. You can bring your Crypt Ghast and your Geist of Saint Traft to your hand at the same time, which can easily put you back on track to winning. The down side to that value is that you have to play a 4/4 for 5, which isn't that great for a creature. Also, a double Raise Dead might not be worth 5 mana to some people.

Pros: Double restrictive Raise Dead
Cons: Only on cheap Spirits, 4/4 for 5
Rating: 2.5/5

Thursday 9 October 2014

Fate Unraveler

Fate Unraveler

Really cool Underworld Dreams on legs. It's out of most direct damage range and it deals damage every turn. The effect is great, the cost is okay (only 1 more than Dreams, but much less colour-intensive), and the body is great. I kind of wish this cost only 2B, but then it might be too good I think. 3B places this squarely in the "great, but not amazing" category.

Pros: Pings opponents for drawing
Cons: Costs 4
Rating: 4/5

Sunday 5 October 2014

Kin-Tree Invocation

Kin-Tree Invocation

This thing is a surprise waiting to happen, mostly because of the decks it will be run in. I can easily see this being the win-con on some abhorrent Wall deck and it will be great. When people think of Walls, they normally think of things like Wall of Omens or Wall of Blossoms, you know, Walls that have some use outside of being a blocker. This card, however, enables other Walls to be as useful by allowing for the creation of big stompy things. Shield Sphere? Why yes, I'd like a 6/6 on turn 2. Wall of Junk? I guess a 7/7 on turn 3 is okay. Wall of Shards? More like "Wall of Better Phyrexian Soulgorger". Now, I know the creature created doesn't have evasion and can easily be killed, but aren't those the same complaints that can be made about Tarmogoyf? There are only two big issues with this card. First is that it is based around toughness instead of power, so if you're going to use it to its full effect, you'll need either early Walls to be able to hold out until you've got big creatures. But even if you don't have huge creatures or Walls, it can be used as a cheap mini-Cackling Counterpart for your biggest creature on your turn, which isn't all that bad on its own. The second issue is the timing. As a sorcery, you can't use this as a combat trick nor can you use it to give you creature pseudo-Haste by having it ETB on an opponent's end step. Despite both those issues, I really like this card. I expect to make a deck around it in the near future.

Pros: Mini-Cackling Counterpart on your toughest dude
Cons: Sorcery speed, based on toughness
Rating: 3.5/5 

Thursday 2 October 2014

Feast of Blood

Feast of Blood

It's a better Doom Blade although it's more restrictive. Yeah, you need two Vampires, but in a Vampire tribal deck, that's a pittance. I personally love this card since it's both creature removal and lifegain, so it helps you stabilize in two different ways. The flavour fits, the mechanics fit, the power level fits; it's just a great card.

Pros: Omni-kill spell, lifegain, cheap
Cons: Requires two Vampires
Rating: 4.5/5

Friday 26 September 2014

Saving Grasp

Saving Grasp

It doesn't look like much, but a card like this can be very valuable more times than you think. Against a boardwipe, it can save your problem creature. In the late game, you can bounce one of your own creatures with an ETB trigger to get more value out of it. If this were a one-shot card, I would not rate it too high but because of its Flashback, it becomes a fairly solid card.

Pros: Bounce one of your own creatures twice
Cons: Only hits your creatures, different colour mana for Flashback
Rating: 3.5/5

Tuesday 23 September 2014

Riptide Pilferer

Riptide Pilferer

Not a bad little creature with the Specter effect. If dropped early enough, this card can become a big hassle to your opponent if it keeps connecting. As a Merfolk, there are tons of lords and specific effects that will allow it to become a problem quite quickly. Even if it only hits once or twice, it's not a bad result for a 2-drop. Still, as a 1/1, you'll probably only connect once with it before a chump blocker gets thrown in front of it.

Pros: 2-drop Specter effect
Cons: No evasion
Rating: 3.5/5

Sunday 21 September 2014

Rakdos Ickspitter

Rakdos Ickspitter

Even if this little guy can't take out a creature, it's always worth using its ability since it will cause the opponent some life loss. It's like a Prodigal Pyromancer that hits two things at once. However, the ability becomes useless if your opponent has no creatures to target. Then again, if your opponent has no creatures, this card will still turn sideways to make them lose a life but though attacking instead of though its ability. All in all, it's a pretty cool card.

Pros: Pyromancer that effectively hits two targets
Cons: Ability is useless without creatures
Rating: 4/5

Thursday 18 September 2014

Viscerid Drone

Viscerid Drone

*sigh*
Nope. A big bucket o' nope. You are two-for-one-ing every time you use this card. If it was just sacking a creature it would be much better since there are decks out there that like sack outlets, but this forces you to sack both a creature and a land. Normally, I might be a bit more lenient towards this since mono-blue creature kill is extremely rare, but since you need to toss a Swamp, it means you're running black and therefore more options for kill spells and abilities. Not worth it in any fashion, at least not on its own. Maybe with a Crucible of Worlds, but even then, there are better things to use your Crucible with.

Pros: Blue creature kill
Cons: Requires land and creature sack
Rating: 1/5 

Tuesday 16 September 2014

Task Force

Task Force

I love cards with this ability since it is absolutely broken with cards like Lancers en-Kor and anything else with a 0-mana activation cost. It's super-tanky because of this, but doesn't have any power, so it's basically a glorified wall. Average at best.

Pros: Super-tanky
Cons: 1 power
Rating:: 2.5/5

Thursday 11 September 2014

Boiling Blood

Boiling Blood

Forcing a creature can be advantageous. It can either just remove a blocker from your next combat or it can force a creature to enter combat against a much stronger opponent and therefore remove that creature entirely. I'm not so sure it should cost 3 though. The cantrip is nice and definitely adds 1 to the mana cost, but I still don't know if paying 2 to make something swing is worth it. Bloodshed Fever is an enchantment that does it for 1 and Into the Fray is an instant that also does it for 1 mana (and both are somewhat repeatable). The trip saves this from the ranks of horrendous Magic cards. It just doesn't do enough to let this sit at the mediocre cards' table.
Pros: Forces an attack, cantrip
Cons: Costs 3
Rating: 2/5 

Saturday 6 September 2014

Dragon Tyrant

Dragon Tyrant

12 flying damage for 10 isn't bad, but the upkeep cost kind of relegates this to mono-red decks. That in itself isn't a problem though (Necro-Impotence is pretty much only going to be played in mono-black decks, but that doesn't make it bad). I think card's pretty good, despite its high initial cost. It's probably going to burst through any defender that can be thrown in front of it and it'll hurt if nothing's put in front of it at all. Pretty solid for a Dragon.

Pros: Big 'n' beefy flying double striker
Cons: Costs 10, upkeep cost
Rating: 4/5

Friday 5 September 2014

Tivadar's Crusade

Tivadar's Crusade

Considering how fast Goblins can get out of control, this isn't a bad option as a boardwipe. Since it only targets one type of creature, it's pretty much relegated to the sideboard, but it still functions nicely for what it does. It comes out one turn earlier than Wrath of God and can easily be a one-sided wipe, which makes this situationally great.

Pros: Cheap Goblin wipe
Cons: Only hits Goblins
Rating: 3/5

Wednesday 3 September 2014

Shinewend

Shinewend

It's a flying Allay. It costs double to pull off, but until then you've got a flying chump blocker. If you have some sort of way to put +1/+1 counters on it, it becomes a lot more usable and less "below average". I don't think this card is terrible, but I do see that this card is both limited in scope as well as limited in uses. And being limited in uses is not the big deal here honestly. Look at Wickerbough Elder: it can also only be used once but it is much better than this. It doesn't die when used like this card does and it's also a beatstick unlike this card. However, for its cost and rarity, I can't be too harsh on this thing. 

Pros: Allay on a stick
Cons: 4 mana Allay, dies on use
Rating: 2/5

Sunday 31 August 2014

Pyretic Ritual

Pyretic Ritual

This little gal lets you drop your turn three stuff on turn two and that makes it pretty great. The only major issue with this card is that it's completely dead as a topdeck or in the late game. Other than that, this card is pretty great.

Pros: Burst mana, instant
Cons: Dead in the late game
Rating: 4/5

Friday 29 August 2014

Knight of Meadowgrain

Knight of Meadowgrain

Awesome bear is awesome. A 2/2 for 2 is pretty good. A 2/2 first striker or a 2/2 lifelinker for 2 is great. A 2/2 first strike lifelinker for 2 is amazing. It's just great value for the cost you're paying. This card is very powerful and scary to be on the wrong end of. The first strike means you've got a good chance of getting through most on-curve blockers and the lifelink means you're getting a return on your investment no matter what. It's a great card.

Pros: Uber-bear
Cons: Double white
Rating: 5/5

Tuesday 26 August 2014

Magical Metamorphosis

Well, I might as well talk about the big news in Magic. Yesterday, Maro made these announcements. In short: no more Core Sets after 2015, blocks will only have 2 sets as of fall 2015, and Standard will only contain 3 blocks. These are some big changes of Magic. It basically shifts the entire way it's produced and consumed. And I like it.

For starters, I've never really been too huge of a fan of Core Sets after Tenth (don't ask me why since even I don't know). I get that they're there to bring new players into the game, but it just wasn't fun for everyone else. Maro has said that there will be a supplemental product made that's aimed at bringing new players in (here's hoping for a new Portal). The biggest problem for me with regards to Core Sets is the story. I'd rather see a proper block on Shandalar instead of just news breaks while the real stories get ready.

The two set block idea is fantastic. I understand that a three set block follows more the traditional three-act-structure of storytelling, but it just drags the story on a bit too much in my opinion. Since the stories will be shorter, it'll allow for Creative to run with stories that where once considered "too weak" to stretch across three sets.

Finally, we come to the biggest change: Standard rotation. In essence, it brings a card's lifespan in Standard down to 12-18 months. People are saying that players will leave in droves, but I don't see that. Sure, netdeckers will leave since it'll become too expensive to replace cards quicker (I'll come back to that in a moment), but a lot of jaded players who saw the meta solidify way too fast might be interested in coming back (I know I am). With regards to my earlier statement about prices, I don't think prices will change that much. Yes, there will be a spike in consumption early on so that players get the most out of their cards, but I also see the more limited lifespan of cards acting as a "gouge inhibitor". Players might not be so willing to hand over $40/card if that card is only going to be around for 12 months.

All in all, I look forward to the New New World Order of Magic.

Sunday 24 August 2014

Brainstorm

Brainstorm

I'm not a big fan of this card. Now, before you crucify me for such a heretical statement, I'm well aware of this card's power in combo decks. It lets you dig three cards for that last piece at instant-speed for a very low mana investment. However, the reason I don't really like this card is because of what happens when it whiffs. If you dig three and don't find what you want, you're basically losing your next two draws. It's a card that I've never liked topdecking, and because of that, I can't really say that I love this card as much as everyone else seems to. Sorry folks.

Pros: Draw 3 for 1 at instant-speed
Cons: Put two cards from hand to top of deck
Rating: 3.5/5

Saturday 23 August 2014

Wakedancer

Wakedancer

This here is a Limited all-star. Heck, I remember some Standard decks running these ladies back when Dark Ascension was still in that format. I really like it because it helps you gain tempo if you're playing it with the Morbid trigger and if you're ever in a situation where you can't trigger Morbid, you're either winning by a fair bit, losing by a fair bit, or playing against America control. It's a great little card if you can get the Morbid trigger.

Pros: Comes in with a buddy on Morbid
Cons: 2/2 for 3 without Morbid
Rating: 3.5/5

Wednesday 20 August 2014

Soldevi Steam Beast

Soldevi Steam Beast

So, this thing is basically a 2/2 for 5 with a regen of 2. Do I really need to go into more detail about why this thing is so bad? Alliances had some pretty powerful cards, but this is definitely not one of them. Even if you gave this vigilance somehow, it's still just a 4/2 for 5 with regen which, while better than its original form, is still far from "good" since its regen will still give an opponent life. It's not so much a "steam beast" as a "steam hindrance".
Pros: Colourless 4/2, regen
Cons: Gives an opponent life on tap
Rating: 0.5/5

Monday 18 August 2014

Ghastly Discovery

Ghastly Discovery

Not a bad bit of looting. It's worse than Catalog on its own since that is instant whereas this is sorcery-speed, but the conspire ability on this allows it to be copied for little extra cost. And casting Thoughtflare on turn 3 is pretty cool.

Pros: Thoughtflare for 2U and two creatures
Cons: Worse Catalog is you have no board
Rating: 3/5

Saturday 16 August 2014

Living Totem

Living Totem

If curved properly, this is a one-drop 2/3 that gives out a +1/+1 counter. On its own, it's a 3/4 for 4. Like most cards, the value of this card is highly dependent on what's on the field. It ranges from really above average (if you have a lot of creatures) to sub-par (on its own). As such, I'm going to call it "meh".

Pros: Can be cheap, gives out a +1/+1 counter
Cons: Not great on its own
Rating: 2.5/5

Thursday 14 August 2014

Quik Quickies Quickly

Vicious Kavu

It's a 4/2 for 3. That's not bad. If it had first strike, it'd be better.

Pros: 4/2 for 3 when swinging
Cons: Vanilla 4/2 for 3, only 4/2 when swinging
Rating: 2.5/5

Kumano's Pupils

A little underpowered cost:mana ratio-wise, but given its ability, I can forgive it. Kind of.

Pros: Exiles things it hits
Cons: 3/3 for 5
Rating: 2/5

Derelor

Bad. Just bad.

Pros: 4/4 for 4
Cons: Makes your stuff cost more, effectively a vanilla 4/4
Rating: 0.5/5

Will-o'-the-Wisp

Amazing blocker. Seriously, this thing is great.

Pros: Flying 1-drop that can regenerate
Cons: 0/1
Rating: 4/5

Graxiplon

A conditionally unblockable 3/4 for 6? Yeah... no.

Pros: Conditionally unblockable
Cons: 3/4 for 6
Rating: 0.5/5

Taste of Paradise

Complete waste of paper and ink.

Pros: Scalable lifegain
Cons: 4 for first 3 life, sorcery speed
Rating: 0/5


Tuesday 12 August 2014

Pawn of Ulamog

Pawn of Ulamog

Not bad if you've got a sac deck going. It basically reads "every creature you sacrifice triggers Grave Pact twice". On its own, it's not that great (all it does is replaces itself with a gribbly), but it can allow for nice combos/more devastating combos. I'm not going to complain about it saying "nontoken creature" since that would make this degenerate. In fact, the only thing I'm going to say is a downside is that it's a 2/2 for 3, which isn't great on its own.

Pros: Replaces your dead dudes
Cons: 2/2 for 3, replacements are gribblies
Rating: 4/5

Sunday 10 August 2014

Soulsurge Elemental

Soulsurge Elemental

Great card unless your opponent has pretty much any removal. Gut Shot deals with this. Night deals with this. Freakin' Hornet Sting deals with this. This also doesn't have haste, so having this guy sit around for a round leaves it fairly vulnerable. Giving it haste would skyrocket its value. Also, it doesn't have any evasion, so despite the fact that it will survive combat, it will still be stopped by a gribbly. I'm not at all impressed with the execution of this card.

Pros: Big first striker
Cons: No haste or evasion, 1 toughness
Rating:1.5/5

Friday 8 August 2014

400th Post: Reflection and Thank Yous

Hi everyone,

This is roughly my 400th post, so I'd thought I'd do some serious thanking to the people who frequent this blog. I know that I'm not the biggest name in Magic blogging, but that doesn't really matter to me. I'm doing this because I love the game, not because I want the fame. However, knowing that there are people out there who take a little time to read whatever ramblings I put up here makes me feel a little warm and fuzzy inside.

I especially want to thank anyone who has stuck around since the beginning. Rereading some of my old posts has made me see how unrefined and vicious I was to cards that, if I had bothered to think for two minutes, I would have seen their usefulness (notable exception: Rishadan Port). I'm actually kind of embarrassed by some of those older posts to be honest. I'm not about to delete them or anything, but I'd like to think that I've matured as both a blogger and a Magic player enough to look at cards more critically since then.

Well, that about does it for my thank yous for now. Here's to 400 more posts!

Enrage

Enrage

Good combat trick. It's one shot of firebreathing to that creature that got through. This is really fun when you swing with firebreathers and non-firebreathers alike and your opponent, thinking that they are making smart plays, block all of your firebreathers just to get suckered by this card on one of the unblocked non-firebreathers. Of course, it's only a one-shot combat trick, so its value is kind of limited by that, but it's still at the top of the "one-shot combat trick" class. It's no Berserk, but that thing's the valedictorian of the class, so it's not really a fair comparison. This card is that one guy who always got straight As but never really stood out socially. Good at what it does, but you know that there's something better than it.

Pros: Good combat trick
Cons: Only a "good" combat trick
Rating: 3/5