Allow me to begin with the following understanding: What I know about tournament Magic could fit in a very small pamphlet. Perhaps even a business card. Any insight that I give into how competitive players might use a card is as random as Monkey Shakespeare.

But I do know how a card can bedevil you, screaming about its potential and flashing the words "play with me" into your most peaceful dreams of mountain streams and ham.

So let us examine the cards and see the things about them that make them interesting to the kitchen-table Johnnies of the world.

Adder-Staff Boggart Wizards long ago learned the importance of not giving red good one drops. They seem to be a bit iffy on the two drops. Mogg Flunkie, Slith Firewalker, and Mogg War Marshal all see play because red needs beats. Adder Staff Boggart is not in their class, but it is surprisingly good. Three power two drops are generally a green/white thing, but having a decent chance to beat cheap makes this guy solid. That said, we have Blood Knight and no one plays him.

The original plan was to review every card in the set. After doing Adder Staff Boggart I changed my mind. There is no way you can offer insight beyond "attacks for two" on every card. So instead every card I single out has a combo, something interesting, or a lame joke. Trust me, this is much better than "uses up green mana."

Ashling's Perogative - One line stands out to me: "Zero is even." This is more than a reminder of the horrific state of education in our world. It also means all the zero casting cost tokens you will be making in this, the crazy token set, have haste. Sure, it lessens the impact of some annoying suspend cards (Aeon Chronicler and Riftwing Couldskate, I'm looking at you.) but imagine the sort of token madness haste opens up. Elvish Promenade? Garruk Wildspeaker? Ajani Goldmane? Most haste-granting enchantments are crap. This one is not.

Arbiter of Knollridge - There is no pun too horrific for WotC. Knollridge is power, folks. That said, this would be quite possibly the most annoying creature a casual Blink deck has ever seen. People would look at the clock and just concede.

Austere Command Wrath is for those who like indiscriminate destruction. This is Wrath for those who appreciate craftsmanship and don't care about price. As a side benefit, you can totally hose the guys who play Enchantress or Affinity decks every week. They won't even know what hit them.

Battle Mastery - The irony of this card is that White has so few fatties that would really benefit from double strike. It clearly wants to roll with Green. While I like the Voltron style decks, I have to say that this card does not float my boat. It bucks the WotC trend of making Auras that transcend their drawback.

Battlewand Oak - Hunting Wilds wants to slather this card in barbecue sauce and eat it up. Yavimaya Dryad writes it little love notes. And Baru? He longs for the day that he and the Oak are united in Standard. Sure, it's common, but underneath those branches is a Johnny combo machine.

Benthicore - When I first read the card I thought it had evasion. I do not know why. On rereading the card I know that it costs seven and does not do something outstandingly broken. Heck, your opponent can kill it with the Merfolk trigger on the stack. This card is not a worthy follower to the -core legacy.

Boggart Mob - Champions in Goblin decks are neat. You can overcommit to the board. You can get cheap fatties. And you can champion [card]Siege-Gang Commander[card]. (Please kill the mob now, Wrathy McWrathpants) I do find the flavor of this card a bit disturbing. Goblins reproduce asexually? Why is there a Goblin Matron?

Boggart Shenanigans - No sense in previewing this card. You'll be well and truly sick of it in record time. But this in an environment with Mogg War Marshal, Siege-Gang Commander, Mogg Fanatic, and Greater Garagadon? Really? Did that many people enjoy Goblin Sharpshooter the first time?

Briarhorn - We have gone from King Cheetah to this. I am quite happy with that progression.

Brion Stoutarm - Mister Stoutarm, meet Greater Gargadon. I trust you two will be very happy together.

[card]Cairn Wanderer[card] - I want to hold this card in my sweaty, sweaty hands. The thought of building a deck to contain its coolness fills me with joy. I look forward to casting Traumatize on my own library, just to make him rock more. I believe he may be the new keyword champion. I think he may be one of the most fun cards I have ever seen. I'm going to lie down for a bit to get my emotions under control. Feel free to hum some Disco while I doze.

Ceasless Searblades - It is probably for the best that there are no elemental en-Kors around. I'd probably want to do something silly with Searblades and Mirror Entity. Once you taste the infinite, everything else is a bit of a letdown.

Chandra Nalaar - She has no subtlety. She just blows up. And if you put her down in a multiplayer game, you are now wearing a Texas sized bull's eye. Texas is big.

Changeling Beserker, Changeling Hero, Changeling Titan - These all protect you against Wrath. They are all respectable critters. And they all make astoundingly good Slivers. Five mana for a 7/7 Sliver is Sliver Queen territory. And they can come in and eat up your Dormant Sliver! Nifty.

Cloudgoat Ranger - Interesting in that it is the only one of the token family cards that brings more power with it than its casting cost. With Glorious Anthem in play he represents ten damage for one card and five mana. He is excellent.

Colfenor's Urn - So we have evoke on things like Cloudthresher, Aethersnipe, Faultgrinder. We have echo on things like Timbermare, Volcano Hellion and Skizzik Scourger. And then we have random stuff like Maelstrom Djinn, Ravaging Riftwurm and Waning Wurm. I do not think this is a great card. But it is certainly going to be a fun one. Also note the text says three or more. This becomes a multiplayer monster when coupled with Wrath.

Colfenor's Plans - Looks like trash. But it exists along with Claws of Gix and Boomerang So you don't have to win with just those seven cards. It just lets you get three cards from the top seven and then you put it away. I think this would be a very good card, if only casting it did not turn off the turn you cast it in.

Cryptic Command - It's good, but it does not really get my heart singing. In a Fish deck, you can do amazing things with the tap and bounce together. Or it can be used as a Repulse. But Fish decks are about as casual as a tuxedo.

Dauntless Dourbark - He wants in on the Baru/Hunting Wilds action. Can you think of a better four drop to follow Battlewand Oak? (Okay, I know you can, but this is an excellent card) 5/5 or 6/6 for four are generally good.

Deathrender - Screams combo engine. The key is adding a way to draw cards when critters die or come into play. If only there was a Sliver that... Oh, yeah. But you'd need a Sliver that could sac at will... Oh, yeah. Well you'd need a way to get them all to attack... Oh, yeah. You can also chain this with echo creatures.

Dolmen Gate - This card was a house for me at the Prerelease. If you have giant token armies, it's great. If you have a couple fatties, it's great. Casual decks come down to combat, and while this will swing combat in your favor it probably will not do a better job of it than a combat trick. If they Naturalize during combat you are in for a rude surprise.

Doran, the Siege Tower - I try to provide some hidden insight into each card I review. I can't really do that for this one because it has been discussed to death. Be aware it is good. Spitting Slug is now slightly more amazing. You have been warned.

Dread - This goes well with life gain. Martyr of Sands can keep you alive long enough for Dread to gain you some advantage. Or at least get your opponent to concede.

Dreamspoiler Witches - Any situation in which you are casting five spells during your opponent's turn should probably end with you winning the game. This card being in play will only make sure you win more. Which is fine, if you like that sort of thing.

Drowner of Secrets - I like this card a lot for casual. It can singlehandedly end a creature stalemate. It can enable dredge strategies. And it can be used the turn it comes into play.

Elvish Handservant - This makes me sad that all the good giants are white and green, because grow-style creatures are always fun. The handful of changelings just don't float my boat right now. Should Green get a 1-drop changeling in the next set things may be different. But compare this to Quiron Dryad, which grows whenever you play something red or white and is also legal in Standard. The Handservant does not come out favorably.

Elvish Harbinger - Every Harbinger is at least playable. This one is great. Being able to tutor for Elf removal and also represent the mana to play it? That works. The reason that Harbingers are great for casual play is because most casual players do not have four of everything, and a lot work inside a budget. Common tutors that get you your best card make casual more fun. They let you experiment with one-ofs to see what cards actually work, and allow you to invest in cards based on experience.

Epic Proportions - I miss Auratouched Mage just a little bit more. But Spellwilde Ouphe is still around, so things aren't all bad.

Facevaulter - The upside? He must be blocked. The downside? They might block him, forcing you to sacrifice board position for a short term gain. In more competitive circles he might be a star. In casual he is a liability.

Faerie Tauntings - So I dog the -1/-1 card, but I cheer for this? I do. This card makes useless twiddling with Whitemane Lion, cantrips, and critter kill into your offense. With the right kind of deck this can completely take over a game while achieving almost nothing of consequence. This will be a card I get four of on MTGO when Lorwyn comes out. I predict near infinite capability for annoyance.

Fathom Trawl - So you trade the secrecy of Tidings for the certainty of getting heat. Fair trade.

Flamekin Spitfire - An infinite mana sink, plays well with Braid of Fire (which most red Elementals do, actually), and a 1/1 beater. A nice card that comes with a bull's eye on it, because why would anyone play with it if they were not going to do something sick and twisted?

Forced Fruition - The Johnny in me wants to follow this up with Evacuation. Or Megrim. For 6 mana you get your opponent down to five or six spells. But you know they will be his best five or six spells. And if one of those is a Disenchant you probably lose, since most decks can't deal with a 15-to-1 card advantage hole. If only we had Word of Command or Donate. But the best we can do is Plagarize.

Gaddock Teeg - How much would you pay for freedom from mass creature removal? I'm guessing about eighteen dollars.

Garruk Wildspeaker - You supercharge your storage lands. Eventually, the Elephants come. And then they stampede. Alternately, you could go for crazy big mana with Overgrowths and Fertile Grounds. I can thing of a lot of things to do with ten mana. Most of them do not involve Gaddock Teeg.

Guile - At first I thought this would be awesome with Counterbalance. Then I remembered that Pacts exist. Then I saw the "May" text. So in conclusion: Awesome with Counterbalance.

Hamletback Goliath - A casual superstar. I enjoy attacking people with 38/38 creatures. It excites me. I don't have much strategic insight to go with this guy except give him trample before you attack.

Hoarder's Greed - The interesting thing about Hoarder's Greed is Draco. If you have a Words of X enchantment in play you can go to town with the draw bypass ability. Pitch spells also play nice, since they are so darn pricy.

Hoofprints of the Stag - A nice finisher in the casual world. Creatures that are big enough you have to notice them, all augmented by cantrips and cycling. Not broken, but breakable.

Horde of Notions - Five color creatures don't get much play unless they have the word "Sliver" on them. This, however, is a special case. Most five color creatures can't be powered out turn three by a Smokebraider. In the odd but true file, if you have two of him in the yard and one in play he is effectively immune to spot removal. (If you have ten mana up. )

Hostility - Imagine a multiplayer game. Say six people. Cast Earthquake for four. Get 24 3/1 tokens. He is clearly tournament quality. But he is incredibly fetching in a casual world. Cheap tokens, big butt, and combo potential all make him a must-have.

Immaculate Magistrate - I had this card in the Prerelease. I enjoyed it immensely. It allows me to duplicate the effect of Chorus of the Conclave, one of my favorite cards, at a bargain price. I did not lose a game in which he went active. In the casual world he is a kingmaker. An onboard trick that can make any peasant a force to be reckoned with. It is enough to make me wish Squire was an Elf.

Imperious Perfect - I like forestwalk. It certainly can be useful. I like the ability to create an army of 2/2s just a bit better. In the Prerelease I had a game with both the Prefect and the Magistrate out. I actually felt bad for my opponent.

Incandescent Soulstoke - This card misses Living Inferno. But the ability to make a Ball Lightning every turn is nice. And getting the Incarnations cheap is certainly nothing to sneeze at. If only he were not so fragile.

Kithkin Mourncaller - Attacking is the hitch here. You set up any amount of combo madness without that text. With Mourncaller you need something like Breath of Fury to fully take advantage of the attack phase. You could just blow up all your creatures during your attack phase, but that is usually counterproductive.

Knucklebone Witch - She is not quite Arcbound Ravager for Goblins. This card begs to be followed by Mogg War Marshal, giving Goblins a 1-mana 2-power drop. If only she could eat Goblins too...

Lammastide Weave - If you really really hate Vampric Tutor this is the card for you. And if you hate Harbingers too? Clearly up your alley. This may be the beginning of an incredibly slow green milling deck.

Makeshift Mannequin - Things you might have missed about this card: It is an instant and it has no drawback if your creature has shroud or appropriate protections. Things you noticed: It costs 4.

Masked Admirers - My previous soapbox speech about Harbingers? He's one of the guys you'll want to try out. He's not a legend, so you probably want two so that you can always have one in play.

Merrow Commerce - Awakening for Merfolk? I'd yawn, but the 2-mana cost and all the excellent tap abilities make this a potential cornerstone of a Merfolk deck. Mill twice as fast, draw twice as many cards, win on an accelerated schedule. Since it is an end of turn trigger you can have multiples in play and greatly increase your milling speed. (Use the tap abilities, let one trigger resolve, repeat for each trigger) Be glad, very glad, that Opposition is gone.

Merrow Reejerey - We need more Merfolk instants.

Militia's Pride - Recovering from Wrath has rarely been easier. Add in manlands and some haste creatures and you will never be at a loss for an army.

Mirror Entity - I like Chimeric Staff A lot. A card that makes all my guys into Chimeric Staves? I like that a lot. And you can kill all your guys for the low low price of 0! Combine this guy with a token army and he is like a customizable Overrun.

Mudbutton Torchrunner - Shizo would like this card. In casual, it is a better Infectious Host This is damning with the faintest praise.

Mulldrifter - I suppose there is a way that Counsel of the Soratami is better than this, but I'll be darned if I know what it is. This card is unique, in that you will (almost) always be happy to draw it. And any creature that has "draw two cards" on it is begging for a combo (Astral Slide, Galepowder Mage, Champions galore.)

Nameless Inversion - So you already know this combos with Haakon. Which is cool. the ability to make a creature forget what it is will be almost as important, because with all the new lords this can effectively give -4 or -5 toughness.

Nath of the Gilt-Leaf - Is this the card that makes Megrim good? Probably not.

Nettlevine Blight - This card is terrible in multiples. They can just put all of them on the same item, and then sac it and you lose all but one. If you can play it on the third turn it can be dominating. This is probably why it costs 6.

Nova Chaser - This card exists solely to make Incandescent Soulstoke better. And maybe Pandemonium as well.

Oblivion Ring - Your Reality Acid deck just got way better. And Vindicate for three at common is nice removal for a color that usually does not get nice spot removal.

Oona's Prowler - Damn you Teferi, for making madness suck. At least you can discard your Haakon easily.

Pestermite - Twiddle with a body. Great for winning races or tapping a Plains during your opponent's upkeep.

Ponder - If you really don’t like losing clashes this is the card for you. And the ability to race through your deck while increasing storm counts is not a bad thing.

Primal Command - Would you play this for four? For three? Contrast that to:

Profane Command - This is a house. Direct damage with creature kill? Or reanimation? They should have given this a name that kept it alphabetically distant from the green command, because it shows it up.

Purity - What I like about Purity is that you can beat yourself up all you want and gain the benefit. The old school player in me wants to pair this with Orcish Artillery. The 6/6 flying body is bonus. Too bad it won't work with Volcano Hellion.

Rebellion of the Flamekin - 3/1 for 1? I'm in. The 4-mana cost limits it to casual play, as does the general lack of clashers. This type of weakness is why Didgeridoo never caught on.

Scion of Oona - This will annoy you for the next two years. You will aim a piece of spot removal at a faerie and this will counter it. The sight of up will forever give you pause. Prepare yourself now. Though it seems obvious, it needs to be said that two of these in play is much better than one.

Seedguide Ash - Green lacks the good sacrifice outlets to really take advantage of the three-for-one. If he were an Elemental he would be much better. As it is, he represents four Gargadon counters.

Sentry Oak - I would be terribly remiss if I did not mention one of the few reusable sources of clash. If you intend to make a clash deck I truly hope you like this card.

Shapesharer - If you are the kind of player that envisions vast clone armies at his beck and call then this is the card for you. It certainly confounds combat math. The inability to copy comes into play effects turns me off a bit. But it does let you turn an army of formless weenies into an army of Spectral Forces, so things clearly aren't all bad.

Soaring Hope - This is the sort of card someone will play so that they can tell the story of how they played it. Frugal magic players will keep a stack of them by their toilet in case of emergency.

Soulbright Flamekin - This will accelerate your Akroma or Hellkite. Or you could play Grinning Ignus. There may be a choice to be made here, but I'm not seeing it.

Sower of Temptation - The wording of this card messes up trigger tricks. But the upshot is a flying control magic. If you play Blue it's not like you can make the Green mage in your group hate you any more, right?

Springleaf Drum - Sure it plays nice with Fallowsage, but what else does it bring to the table? If you are using one drops for mana acceleration do you really want them to be part of a two card combo? It might be a free card in Affinity, but there are better free cards out there.

Stinkdrinker Daredevil - If you are playing a Giant deck without this guy you possess astounding patience. He changes your four drop to a six drop, which is right where most Giants hang out. You'll play him. You won't be thrilled about it, but you'll play him.

Sunrise Sovereign - Many Giants are Warriors. Lovisa Coldeyes is a Warrior. Giant hasty tramplers will win games. (duh)

Surgespanner - Springleaf Drum. Sprout Swarm. Merrow Commerce? This card needs to be killed when it hits the table. Playing a game without permanents is really hard. (more duh)

Sylvan Echoes - This will probably be in every clash deck you make. Most clash spells are one shots. Being able to cast spells that burn through your deck and potentially cantrip would be much better if the clash spells actually won you the game.

Thorntooth Witch - She plays much nicer with the cheap changeling spells. Paying retail for Treefolk will greatly lessen her effectiveness.

Thousand-Year Elixir - You can chain mana Elves. You can use them twice. But this does not really seem to add much more to the table than your typical haste enchantment. Feel free to try and break it, but I think you will find the results disappointing. (This will become the new Fires just to spite me)

Timber Protector - Dryad Arbor just got better. (What can I say about Rosewater's preview card that he didn't?)

Twinning Glass - This would have been the card to push Warp World over the top. Sadly we’ve lost Anarchist. Buy a few. Just in case a fitting replacement should arrive. It also allows you to cheat on buyback spells and cheap evokers.

Wanderwine Prophets - Infinite turns with just this and Summon the School (a few times). That is not a bad two card combo.

Wizened Cenn - A 2-drop lord is clearly a tourney card. When you make your Kithkin deck you will be thrilled he is not a rare. The question is whether the Kithkin are fast enough to make you want to make a deck around them.

Wort, Boggart Auntie - The only way this could be better is if Time Walk was a goblin sorcery. A creature that can always get your best card is going to be very expensive. Your kids don’t need shoes.

We have before us a casual feast. Go ahead, take a bite.