Image and details to supplement the previous Release Notes
Legendary Artifact, O casting cost
T: Add one mana of any color among legendary creatures and planeswalkers you control.
224/269
Illustrated by Steven Bellidin
Flavour text - something about the 8th time shard which gives the power of visions.
I am fairly certain I did see this card mocked up with the official previewed art in a post (reddit?), in which the poster had created something of a wish list for said art.
I had started out with the rather typical Mono-White build and had moved to White / Blue after Hour of Devastation was released.
Perhaps it was just getting use to the new (W/U)build but it had not played as smooth (speed being the main concern) as I had thought it would.
I am now back to Mono-White - but - with one modification with the addition of Aetherstorm Roc.
Again, perhaps just luck, but this worked VERY well for me, growing at a steady rate with a hard +1/+1 counter being added to the Roc, while tapping down a troublesome blocker an opponent may have.
There were no issues at all generating Energy, which I had thought may be a problem at first.
I have picked up 5 of the last 6 Gift Box offerings, and have been satisfied with the value so far - especially when WotC had offered 5 booster packs. This year's 'Gift Pack' has shaved the boosters down to 3 but now offers some additional items. This has me leaning toward not picking this up this year - have any arguments for / against purchase ?
Last Friday Night Magic event, I had taken Gideon's Intervention for a spin when side-boarding against a Blue-Red control deck. Named Torrential Gearhulk which had shut down my opponent's list long enough to swing for lethal. I was also not too worried in the event of board-wipe coming down as the Monument list rebuilds fairly rapidly.
This weekend, I will be evaluating having one or two Inventors' Fair in the main. Essentially, my experience is that most games will be going your way when Oketra's Monument is in play. When I am unable to have the Monument in the opening hand or unable to draw into it (hard to believe with all the Clue tokens from Thraben Inspector and Bygone Bishop), then chances to pull a win are most decidedly weak. Perhaps too greedy (?), but it feels nice to pack a parachute none-the-less.
Gold-Wired Familiar, 3
Artifact Creature, Uncommon
When Gold-Wired Familiar enters the battlefield, you gain 2 life.
When Gold-Wired Familiar dies, you may draw a card.
2/2
Cultivator of Blade, 3G
Creature - Elf Artificer, Rare
Fabricator 2
Whenever Cultivator of Blade attacks, you may have other attacking creatures get +X/+X until end of turn where X is Cultivator of Blade's power
In the world building Panel, as well as in the Planeswalker's guide to Khans of Tarkir they talk about the Abzan having family trees where they bury their dead, and whose spirits can be called upon in times of need. So there will probably be a family tree card that can create these tokens either through sacrifice or some other means.
YEP!
Flavour explosion - Each Abzan family bears a kin tree, a sacred fruit bearing tree to which the dead members of the family are fed and where their names are carved, zealously guarded by the firstborn child, known as a "tree warden/caretaker"; younger children are free to chose other paths, and eventually plant their own kin trees and families. The spirits of the ancestors can be summoned from these kin trees, and the Abzan carry/consume resin, sap or amber in order to connect with the spirits. Disowning is a grave matter, as not only are the disowned social outcasts (though open to more life paths, such as wandering, adventuring or becoming mercenaries) that cannot be adopted by any family, they also lack a kin tree, and their spirits become malevolent and restless after death.
Legendary Artifact, O casting cost
T: Add one mana of any color among legendary creatures and planeswalkers you control.
224/269
Illustrated by Steven Bellidin
Flavour text - something about the 8th time shard which gives the power of visions.
EDIT : additional details, formatting
~
~
~
Perhaps it was just getting use to the new (W/U)build but it had not played as smooth (speed being the main concern) as I had thought it would.
I am now back to Mono-White - but - with one modification with the addition of Aetherstorm Roc.
Again, perhaps just luck, but this worked VERY well for me, growing at a steady rate with a hard +1/+1 counter being added to the Roc, while tapping down a troublesome blocker an opponent may have.
There were no issues at all generating Energy, which I had thought may be a problem at first.
~
I have picked up 5 of the last 6 Gift Box offerings, and have been satisfied with the value so far - especially when WotC had offered 5 booster packs. This year's 'Gift Pack' has shaved the boosters down to 3 but now offers some additional items. This has me leaning toward not picking this up this year - have any arguments for / against purchase ?
2017 Holiday Gift Pack (WPN product details here) Contents:
Holiday Gift Box / Gift Box / Gift Pack
~
This weekend, I will be evaluating having one or two Inventors' Fair in the main. Essentially, my experience is that most games will be going your way when Oketra's Monument is in play. When I am unable to have the Monument in the opening hand or unable to draw into it (hard to believe with all the Clue tokens from Thraben Inspector and Bygone Bishop), then chances to pull a win are most decidedly weak. Perhaps too greedy (?), but it feels nice to pack a parachute none-the-less.
~
* Todd Anderson took 4th Place with a W/U Monument deck list
(http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=114512)
* Strong showing within 14 of the 7-1 or Better Standard Decklists with a total of 4 Monument deck lists (2 mono white & 2 U/W)
http://www.starcitygames.com/events/coverage/4093_71_or_better_standard_decklist.html
~
~
~
~
Should be available at gaming stores end of December.
Sauce : http://mtg-realm.tumblr.com/post/153574855506/magic-the-gathering-2016-holiday-playmat-soon
~
Gold-Wired Familiar, 3
Artifact Creature, Uncommon
When Gold-Wired Familiar enters the battlefield, you gain 2 life.
When Gold-Wired Familiar dies, you may draw a card.
2/2
Unofficial translation.
~
Cultivator of Blade, 3G
Creature - Elf Artificer, Rare
Fabricator 2
Whenever Cultivator of Blade attacks, you may have other attacking creatures get +X/+X until end of turn where X is Cultivator of Blade's power
Seems good
~
1 - The Monarch - At the beginning of your end step, draw a card. Whenever a creature deals combat damage to you, its controller becomes the monarch.
2 - 1/1 white Soldier creature token for Lieutenants of the Guard and Raise the Alarm
3 - 1/2 white Soldier creature token for Hold the Perimeter
4 - 1/1 white Spirit creature token for Doomed Traveler
5 - 1/1 black Assassin creature with deathtouch and haste for Queen Marchesa
6 - 2/2 black Zombie creature token for Assemble the Rank and Vile
7 - 5/5 red Dragon creature token with flying for Skyline Despot
8 - 1/1 red Goblin creature token onto the battlefield with "This creature can't block." for Hold the Perimeter
9 - 8/8 red Lizard creature token for Subterranean Tremors
10 - 3/3 green Beast creature token for Beast Within
11 - 1/1 green Insect creature token for Dragonlair Spider
12 - 1/1 colorless Construct artifact creature token with defender for Daretti, Ingenious Iconoclast
~
YEP!
Flavour explosion -
Each Abzan family bears a kin tree, a sacred fruit bearing tree to which the dead members of the family are fed and where their names are carved, zealously guarded by the firstborn child, known as a "tree warden/caretaker"; younger children are free to chose other paths, and eventually plant their own kin trees and families. The spirits of the ancestors can be summoned from these kin trees, and the Abzan carry/consume resin, sap or amber in order to connect with the spirits. Disowning is a grave matter, as not only are the disowned social outcasts (though open to more life paths, such as wandering, adventuring or becoming mercenaries) that cannot be adopted by any family, they also lack a kin tree, and their spirits become malevolent and restless after death.
~