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Dissension: A Guide to ValueBy metaller on May 23rd, 2006 · Filed in General Magic · 19 CommentsHello, and welcome once again to “A Guide To Value”. Some of you might remember my attempt to put a value to each rare in Guildpact before the set had hit general release. Well, here I am again, ready to try and save you all a bunch of money and attempting to keep my horrible misjudgments (see Giant Solifuge and Leyline of the Void from the last article as examples) to a minimum. Also, the format of this article will be slightly different from the last one. I will not be covering every twenty-cent rare in the set; only the valuable, under- or over-hyped cards will be discussed. Before I begin, I’m just going to quote something from the last article: Yes, you did just open a $15 bill. Breeding Pool I've run out of witty ways to say how good these things are. $14-18 Crime // Punishment Deed effects are always handy to have around, and this Deed has a built in Beacon of Unrest if nothing on your opponent’s side of the board looks particularly threatening. Could be a dark horse. $1-2 Cytoplast Root-Kin In an environment where four-drops are bona fide game winners (Ghost Council of Orzhova, Giant Solifuge, Loxodon Hierarch), anything less than stellar is just not going to cut it. Root-Kin can power up your fliers/unblockables and take back the counters if any removal gets aimed at your souped-up beasties. Time will tell if he’s good enough. $2-3 Dovescape This certainly locks down the game. The only problem I see is a lack of finishers in U/W post-Kamigawa (except for the enigma that is Superman II). Potentially abusable though. $1-2 Experimental Kraj Obscene if he stays in play. But in the world of competitive Magic, odds are your opponent will be able to remove this ugly mofo one way or another. Still, guaranteed Timmy-fodder. And look at the uber-cool picture! $1 Grand Arbiter Augustin IV I’m of two minds as to whether this guy is going to be an amazing enabler or an overhyped removal target. Early speculation is that he’s good – pick him up if you see him for cheap is my advice. $3-5 Hallowed Fountain I assume you know the deal by now… $14-18 Hide // Seek The Hide part of the card gives Boros a "Disenchant" effect that it shouldn't really have in the revised color pie. Seek has more narrow applications, but removing a problem card lowers the chances that the opponent will draw it. The life gain is a nice added bonus. $1-2 Infernal Tutor A very hyped card, and personally I can’t say I agree with the hype all that much. Yes, it could be useful in something like Gifts to find a second Yosei or as an insane late-game draw. But seriously, what deck in Standard likes to have an empty hand? In Vintage, this could well have applications in various combo decks. $8-10, dropping to $4-5 Vintage gold or narrow throwback? Loaming Shaman As soon as I saw him on the spoiler, my initial thought was “diamond in the rough”. This guy can shuffle a graveyard stocked with countermagic and card drawing back into your deck, or wreck your opponent’s graveyard shenanigans. All with an aggressively costed body. Pick them up. $2, going up to $4-5 when people realize how good he is. Lyzolda, the Blood Witch If there is a B/R deck in the format, my guess is that it will play a couple of this Legendary Witch. Want something to do with your blocked suicidal weenies? Now they trade with the creature blocking them, replace themselves or both for a measly two colorless mana. $3-5 Pillar of the Paruns Pretty bad considering the duals are in the format; but will probably still be sought after because it produces any color of mana at no drawback. Well, a pretty big drawback really… $1-2 Pride of the Clouds Insane with Meloku for the short time they’re in Standard together. However, many people feel that a control deck won't want to tie up its mana in the upkeep. Still, he's likely to be a sideboard card vs aggro at worst. $3-5 Psychic Possession There is talk that this rather inane looking card could be nuts in Owling Mine. Personally, I don’t believe the hype. Still, as ever, if you can get them for cheap, where is the harm? $1-2 Rakdos Augermage After the monstrosity that is Dark Confidant, Terry Soh’s Invitational card had a lot to live up to. Granted, it’s not nearly as good as Bob Maher, but it should go into any B/R deck that unearths itself due to its versatility and usefulness late or early game. $4-5 Rakdos Pit Dragon This for me is definitely the sleeper card of the set. I could very well imagine Gruul Beats curving out with him, and any aggressive Red or B/R deck should in my opinion be using him as a finisher. The fact that he costs a mere four mana and yet can quite feasibly swing for eight or ten damage on turn five makes him a potential game breaker; but in order to get his Hellbent working, he will need to be played in a deck with mostly proactive cards. So no, he probably won't be played in CounterBurn. $2-3 now, $6-8 when people realize how good he is. Metaller's Hot Tip for Dissension Rakdos the Defiler More Timmy-fodder. Seriously, look at all those mana symbols! And his power and toughness! And whenever he deals damage, he kills half your opponent’s board! $1 Research // Development Looks like it could have some really fun applications with Isochron Scepter. Or possibly not; it’s completely redundant without said Stick in Extended. $1-2 Simic Sky Swallower He's really big, untargetable, and has evasion. And isn't that hard to cast. In an environment when the largest flying creatures are 5/5 dragons, this guy could easily be the finisher of choice in control decks. It’s also likely to see use in Vintage Oath decks. $2 Tidespout Tyrant I’m told he forms an infinite mana combo in Vintage with any two Moxen. I’m no Vintage expert, but unless someone finds a way to reliably get the Djinn out at a discount (possibly Oath of Druids?) he’ll stay in the bargain bucket. $1 Voidslime The best hard counter to be printed since Spell Snare, (  ) this is an all round versatile card, and this is sure to be reflected in the price. Wizards very rarely prints hard counters at three mana these days; and Voidslime has far more applications than something like Hinder.$6-8 Windreaver In my experience, this card divides players like no other card in the set. To some people, it’s Morphling incarnate; to others, it’s a watered down version of an overvalued and sentimentalized relic. But it must be said; when all three Legendary U/W finishers (Keiga, Yosei and Meloku, the Clouded Mirror) rotate out of Standard, will there be anything better? $4-6 Whew, now that wasn’t so bad, now was it? As you’ve all been so kind as to read down this far, I’ll quickly run down a list of good uncommons of which you won’t want to be without a playset… Azorius Guildmage She comes out early and reliably and trades with a weenie if necessary; or completely holds down the fort mid-to-late game. Also Stifles all of Heartbeat’s transmute cards. $1 Condemn Cheap, efficient creature removal. What more can one ask for? $1 Pure // Simple The ability to kill a Jitte is invaluable; this utility card also kills Loxodon Hierarch, Burning-Tree Shaman and a turn four Ghost Council. $1 Spell Snare In my opinion, the best nonland card in the set. Here is just a short list of popular spells that it counters: Sakura Tribe-Elder Mana Leak Tallowisp Dark Confidant Watchwolf Lightning Helix Remand Eye of Nowhere Ebony Owl Netsuke Kami of the Crescent Moon … Notice the pattern here? Every card on the list is either ridiculously undercosted or integral to the respective deck’s strategy. $2 Supply // Demand What’s better than a tutor? A tutor that can double up as a win condition or at least produce some chump blockers. Versatility is key here. $1 Well, that marks the end of Dissension: A Guide To Value. I hope you enjoyed it, and feel free to post in the “Market Value” forums here on MTGSalvation if you have any questions. So, until next time! By metaller on May 23rd, 2006 · Filed in General Magic · 19 Comments |
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