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