Hey guys, I just wanted to know what you all thought about the new set in terms of potential cards from EDH.
I'm personally very excited about Flameshadow Conjuring. I will test it out in my Maelstrom Wanderer, seems like a harder to kill alternative to Flamerush Rider.
Sword of the Animist seems really good for non-green decks that are mana hungry.
So, I feel like I'm shooting for low-hanging fruit here, but most of the walkers are solid.
Gideon - Right at home in decks that like Gideon 1, and he's definitely a stronger Mono-white Voltron or White Weenie commander than Isamaru.
Jace - Ehhh...I said most for a reason, and he's the reason. The -3 is about all he's got going for him, unless you really want a Merfolk Looter in your command zone.
Liliana - Lili's got a lot of potential as a reanimator commander, and she's definitely decent in the 99 of other commanders (Looking at you, Tasigur.)
Chandra - Chandra's got more going for her than Jace does, but not a lot. Getting her to flip is a tall order unless you happen to sneak her into combat T3 or T4, and she doesn't have built-in protection like Gideon. Still, once she flips, getting free Shocks on opposing creatures is definitely solid, and her ultimate is guaranteed to put your opponents on a fast clock. Is wildly better in 1V1, where Burn can actually be good.
Nissa - Before I talk about her support roles (if you don't want to read that, play her in your 99 if you like value) let's discuss her viability as a commander, which is...kind of lacking. It's not all her fault though, she's just got some fierce competition (Azusa and Omnath laugh at her) but if you're looking for a non-threatening mono-green commander that's still good, Nissa might just be your golden ticket. However, in the 99, she's amazing. Assuming she flips when she comes in, you're getting a worse Nature's Lore + a Coiling Oracle or a 4/4 at a MINIMUM. If she sticks around, she's a better Phyrexian Arena and she takes the pedal to the floor when you've got anything that reveals the top card of your deck (like Oracle of Mul Daya and Courser of Kruphix, which probably already have slots in green decks worth their salt).
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"When does a man die? When he is hit by a bullet? No! When he suffers a disease? No! When he ate a soup made out of a poisonous mushroom? No! A man dies when he is forgotten!" Currently Piloting: EDH BGGlissa, The Traitor - Recursion (Primer) WBRKaalia of The Vast URGRiku of Two Reflections WUBSydri, Galvanic Genius UBRamirez DePietro GWKrond, The Dawn-Clad GWUDerevi, Empyrial Tactician RGOmnath, Locus of Rage
So, I feel like I'm shooting for low-hanging fruit here, but most of the walkers are solid.
Gideon - Right at home in decks that like Gideon 1, and he's definitely a stronger Mono-white Voltron or White Weenie commander than Isamaru.
Jace - Ehhh...I said most for a reason, and he's the reason. The -3 is about all he's got going for him, unless you really want a Merfolk Looter in your command zone.
Liliana - Lili's got a lot of potential as a reanimator commander, and she's definitely decent in the 99 of other commanders (Looking at you, Tasigur.)
Chandra - Chandra's got more going for her than Jace does, but not a lot. Getting her to flip is a tall order unless you happen to sneak her into combat T3 or T4, and she doesn't have built-in protection like Gideon. Still, once she flips, getting free Shocks on opposing creatures is definitely solid, and her ultimate is guaranteed to put your opponents on a fast clock. Is wildly better in 1V1, where Burn can actually be good.
Nissa - Before I talk about her support roles (if you don't want to read that, play her in your 99 if you like value) let's discuss her viability as a commander, which is...kind of lacking. It's not all her fault though, she's just got some fierce competition (Azusa and Omnath laugh at her) but if you're looking for a non-threatening mono-green commander that's still good, Nissa might just be your golden ticket. However, in the 99, she's amazing. Assuming she flips when she comes in, you're getting a worse Nature's Lore + a Coiling Oracle or a 4/4 at a MINIMUM. If she sticks around, she's a better Phyrexian Arena and she takes the pedal to the floor when you've got anything that reveals the top card of your deck (like Oracle of Mul Daya and Courser of Kruphix, which probably already have slots in green decks worth their salt).
Why do people insist on saying she's a better phyrexian arena? Similar to arena, maybe. Better, not by a long shot. You have to wait until your main phase then you have to use her +1 and the card is revealed. Plus she dies to the most common card in the game: creatures. She's good, but please stop saying she's better than a vastly superior card.
Your assessment of the others I agree with. Looking at getting Liliana into my Chainer deck and probably will switch over my Darien deck to a Gideon Bros deck.
[EDH] It's built to be a casual format and to a specific vision, and if you don't like the vision, there's nothing wrong with that, but it's not going to change to accommodate everyone. Big tent is not a goal.
Nothin'
I see a lot of stuff that feels like watered down versions of other cards, so aside from Languish I see a bunch of bleh.
You must be trollin' Languish is not a watered down version of Damnation?
It won't even kill a Siege Rhino which is a pretty common threat in Standard, the only format Languish is going to be good mediocre in.
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I'll second Pyromancer's Goggles, as I've a monored burn deck that would love to double down on Acidic Soil and Price of Progress. More refined spellslingers of all stripes can usually benefit from a free copy.
Cheers!
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Cards that I think will see some amount of play (in no particular order):
Abbot of Keral Keep: Red likes card advantage engines in any form it can get them, so pairing this alongside Conjurer's Closet or Erratic Portal seems like it could be a good way to go. I think that Prowess makes this much better than people think.
Animist's Awakening: Ramp that scales upwards is pretty awesome. Reminds me a lot of Boundless Realms except you have an option of playing it for 3-4 mana to ramp much earlier than waiting for 7 mana.
Archangel of Tithes: Will go into a lot of pillowfort strategies, but the card is great at just protecting you from getting run over by token strategies.
Displacement Wave: Blue continues to get more good mass-bounce effects.
Elemental Bond: Green also loves its card drawing engines and this one seems particularly easy to put to good use. This goes perfectly into something like Mayael the Anima.
Evolutionary Leap: A poor man's Survival of the Fittest, this is not going to impact games like it does. But the fact that creatures are natural going to die and you can turn them into more cards when you need to, this should be played in a ton of decks.
Flameshadow Conjuring: Adding essentially to the casting cost of each of your creatures for the upside of having a temporary copy is going to appeal to some decks more than others, but those decks with lot of ETB abilities this can deal a lot of damage.
Hallowed Moonlight: Will sneak into some decks as a metagame answer to tokens or reanimator strategies.
Jace's Sanctum: Cost reducers like this can be awesome, and in a deck like Talrand, Niv-Mizzet, or Jhoira this will do a lot of work.
Kothophed, Soul Hoarder: I'm going to try this in Endrek Sahr Stax, but I see this as being a great mid to late game way to refuel.
Languish: Having pinpoint control of your wrath effect can make a big difference, allowing you to focus on running 5-toughness dudes that can survive.
Liliana, Heretical Healer/Liliana, Defiant Necromancer: There seems to be a lof of controversy as to exactly how good she is in EDH, but I think we're all going to find out sooner rather than later because I see a lot of people at least trying her out.
Nissa, Vastwood Seer/Nissa, Sage Animist: Unlike Liliana, I don't think there is any controversy as to how good Nissa is going to be; she's awesome. I don't think she makes a good commander, but I'm going to maindeck her in as many decks as I can.
Nissa's Revelation: I like this card a lot and sometimes green needs some help drawing cards. It plays much differently that other green card draw where this rewards you for playing bigger creatures while cards like Regal Force reward you for playing cheaper creatures or having tokens.
Pia and Kiran Nalaar: The combination of abilities seems perfect for what a lot of current decks are already trying to do.
Sword of the Animist: I'm less convinced that this is going to be a format staple than some, but I do think it will help a lot of creature-based deck ramp up. Mono-W, Mono-R, and RW agro strategies are going to love it.
The Great Aurora: A huge wow-factor card that is going to make for some eventful and interesting game situations.
Tragic Arrogance: Mass destruction on this scale can be highly abusable. It feels a lot like Cataclysm without the mass-LD and without giving your opponent the choice.
Vryn Wingmare: Will go into Thalia decks and other decks that want to tax non-creature spells.
Zendikar's Roil: I think there is a lot of potential for this card. I haven't figured out just where it will fit best, but I'm definitely going to try and break it.
Cards that I will also be trying out because they fit my deck's theme:
Nothin'
I see a lot of stuff that feels like watered down versions of other cards, so aside from Languish I see a bunch of bleh.
You must have the world's most hardcore playgroup.
Honestly, it makes me happy that your group won't use anything from Origins. It means nothing in the set is entirely format warping, which is a good thing.
OT: There's around 10-15 cards that will see play, most of them are for redundancy.
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"I hope to have such a death... lying in triumph atop the broken bodies of those who slew me..."
You don't call "dying to removal" if the removal is more expensive in resources than the creature. If you have to spend BG (Abrupt Decay), or W + basic land (PtE) to remove a 1G, that is not "dying to removal". Strictly speaking Goyf dies to removal, but actually your removal is dying to Goyf.
Evolutionary Leap is one of the best EDH cards in a while IMO. I personally like it more than Survival of the Fittest. It converts everything into value. Chump blockers replace themselves, tokens become creatures, boardwipes turn into a restocked hand. It might take awhile for people to catch on and hate this card - but it is bound to happen.
You must have the world's most hardcore playgroup.
Honestly, it makes me happy that your group won't use anything from Origins. It means nothing in the set is entirely format warping, which is a good thing.
OT: There's around 10-15 cards that will see play, most of them are for redundancy.
I've told you this many times before... we aren't that hardcore. I can't speak for them but for myself I look at cards like Evolutionary Leap and see a slowed down version of Survival because it doesn't even put the creature into play. It's a solid green sac card, but I've never felt like I really wanted one like this. The demonic tutor/dark ritual thingy is cool, but it's really conditional and will almost always be an overcosted Diabolic Tutor. Other cards are really cool (I love the design of a ton of cards here) but in a developed EDH group every card will be seen not only as what it adds to decks but what you have to cut. In every single case I look at (probably those same 10-15) cards and think "wow, that's pretty sweet. Where does it go in archetype X?" And then I'm cutting things that have worked for years that should perform better than what Origins gave us. It's really not a critique of Origins so much as the reality of an ever-growing non-rotating pool of cards that can tap into the most powerful or efficient cards made.
None of the effects in Origins are particularly powerful despite being unique enough in their own rite. I mean really, when 5 years ago I was already having trouble finding space for new cards and they've printed about 20 sets since then the odds of a card making it into a deck is pretty small unless it's a unique or powerful legend... then it's just "sorta small." I don't look for format warping cards - I hate when one shows up. But I do aim to improve and explore creatively with my deck building. Nothing here does both.
You must have the world's most hardcore playgroup.
Honestly, it makes me happy that your group won't use anything from Origins. It means nothing in the set is entirely format warping, which is a good thing.
OT: There's around 10-15 cards that will see play, most of them are for redundancy.
I've told you this many times before... we aren't that hardcore. I can't speak for them but for myself I look at cards like Evolutionary Leap and see a slowed down version of Survival because it doesn't even put the creature into play. It's a solid green sac card, but I've never felt like I really wanted one like this. The demonic tutor/dark ritual thingy is cool, but it's really conditional and will almost always be an overcosted Diabolic Tutor. Other cards are really cool (I love the design of a ton of cards here) but in a developed EDH group every card will be seen not only as what it adds to decks but what you have to cut. In every single case I look at (probably those same 10-15) cards and think "wow, that's pretty sweet. Where does it go in archetype X?" And then I'm cutting things that have worked for years that should perform better than what Origins gave us. It's really not a critique of Origins so much as the reality of an ever-growing non-rotating pool of cards that can tap into the most powerful or efficient cards made.
None of the effects in Origins are particularly powerful despite being unique enough in their own rite. I mean really, when 5 years ago I was already having trouble finding space for new cards and they've printed about 20 sets since then the odds of a card making it into a deck is pretty small unless it's a unique or powerful legend... then it's just "sorta small." I don't look for format warping cards - I hate when one shows up. But I do aim to improve and explore creatively with my deck building. Nothing here does both.
Okay, let me ask you this then: what are some cards that would see play in your decks? What are the level of effects that would be required?
The reason I ask is because I run a Mono-G good stuff deck. With 38 lands in the deck, there are 61 slots available. Which means to replace a card in the deck, it has to be one of the 61 best Green or colorless cards in Magic history. Needless to say, any card in a standard set which can be placed into the top 61 cards in the history of the game is going to be format warping.
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"I hope to have such a death... lying in triumph atop the broken bodies of those who slew me..."
You don't call "dying to removal" if the removal is more expensive in resources than the creature. If you have to spend BG (Abrupt Decay), or W + basic land (PtE) to remove a 1G, that is not "dying to removal". Strictly speaking Goyf dies to removal, but actually your removal is dying to Goyf.
Shadows of the Past: I think this has a slot in my BW Obzedat Drain Life deck.
As a fellow Uril Enchantress deck runner, I don't really think another of those cards are worth running except maybe the Starfield. I feel like the other cards are weaker versions of other cards or don't fit properly.
Also, for the Archive, doesn't it make sense for an Obzedat deck? You are draining and gaining and I'd imagine running some black 'cards for life' spells.
My favorite is alhammarret's archive.
It'll be ridiculous in daretti. I'll draw 4 cards from daretti, wild guess, tormenting voice, faithless looting, etc thanks.
Okay, let me ask you this then: what are some cards that would see play in your decks? What are the level of effects that would be required?
The reason I ask is because I run a Mono-G good stuff deck. With 38 lands in the deck, there are 61 slots available. Which means to replace a card in the deck, it has to be one of the 61 best Green or colorless cards in Magic history. Needless to say, any card in a standard set which can be placed into the top 61 cards in the history of the game is going to be format warping.
The strictly better Indrik Stomphowler might be in my monogreen deck if I still had it put together. Excellent removal that's an upgrade over a proven commodity. The ramp sword would get tested since I ran 2 landfall dudes and forests usually tapped for three mana. But I already had ramp so well covered that there isn't really a need for slower ramp.
I wish there was another Wood Elf or some other Avengerlike army in a can. I feel like those are two effects I want redundancy on.
I'm surprised that Woodland Bellower has hardly been mentioned. Do people just think it's too obvious, and goes without saying? Seems like the "Hi! Design made me for EDH!" card of the set.
Shadows of the Past: I think this has a slot in my BW Obzedat Drain Life deck.
As a fellow Uril Enchantress deck runner, I don't really think another of those cards are worth running except maybe the Starfield. I feel like the other cards are weaker versions of other cards or don't fit properly.
Also, for the Archive, doesn't it make sense for an Obzedat deck? You are draining and gaining and I'd imagine running some black 'cards for life' spells.
The Enchantress cards may very well not be worth running, but I'm at least going to try them out. It's a shame too because I'd like to shake the deck up a little bit, so I'm going to rotate a few of them into the deck just to see what happens.
Testing Chandra's Ignition in Xenagod. The "dies to removal" argument is easier to avoid when you can test the waters by sending the 20 power hasted guy at the person who you think has the removal.
White Tragic Arrogance - One of my favorites. Obviously the primary use will be clearing out creatures, but the fact that it can also hose a heavy artifact/enchantment player will come up regularly in EDH too. What I like most about it, aside from the utility, is that it has great political potential. Being able to neuter the biggest threats while making friends elsewhere is awesome. I'd consider this in any EDH deck, and am especially excited to run it in my Zedruu build, where I can make it even better with her donation ability. Starfield of Nyx - This card is just sweet, being a value engine and a win-con in one fairly costed package. I don't have a deck for it, but this is the kind of card that makes me want to build a deck just so I can play it.
Honorable Mentions: Relic Seeker, Consul's Lieutenant, Hixus, Prison Warden, and Sentinel of the Eternal Watch - All good enough for EDH IMO, just not as exciting as the other two.
Blue Thopter Spy Network - Awesome card, kinda like Starfield in that it wants to be built around and rewards you handsomely for doing so. I don't have a deck for this right now, but I wish I did.
Honorable Mentions: Whirler Rogue, Jace, Vryn's Prodigy, slim pickings in blue but it is tough to go wrong with Jace. He isn't amazing or anything, just a solid card, especially for any deck that wants to get stuff into the graveyard. I really appreciate permanents in EDH that can be played early yet retain real value late in the game.
Black Demonic Pact - Coolest card in the set by a mile, and in EDH we have access to ALL the goodies needed to abuse it. Bounce it, blink it, or even use it as a win-con by donating it. Kothophed, Soul Hoarder - Love this ability, SO powerful but with a steep price. IMO that price will be worth paying most of the time...and when it isn't you can rig the scales by making sure you include instant speed sac effects and life gain around this guy. Languish - Just a good efficient sweeper.
Honorable Mentions: Dark Petition, Gilt-Leaf Winnower, Graveblade Marauder, Liliana, Heretical Healer, Priest of the Blood Rite, Shadows of the Past, Tainted Remedy - Just a ton of solid cards and/or interesting role-players here for black, a nice haul.
Red Flameshadow Conjuring - Agreed with the OP, this looks like a lot of fun. Seems especially silly in something like Maelstrom or Animar, where you can really abuse the various ETB creatures those decks tend to run in high concentrations. Venser your spell...and use the copy to bounce my own Venser back, lol. Not broken by any means, just a solid value card that should be fun.
Honorable Mentions: Pia and Kiran Nalaar, Ghirapur Aether Grid, Embermaw Hellion, Chandra's Ignition - Not a great haul here, but some decent role players in the right decks.
Green Evolutionary Leap - Great way to get value out of creatures that were going to die anyway, or out of small stuff and tokens. Plus having an instant speed sac outlet can be very handy. The Great Aurora - Warp World has always been a personal favorite and this looks like it could play similarly. Find a way to make a bunch of tokens or otherwise cheat the numbers then reset the game with a major advantage. Managorger Hydra - Cause who doesn't like a huge trampler for 3 mana? Nissa, Vastwood Seer - Same reason I like Jace, having a creature that has utility early and is a solid threat late is very nice. I have a PW-oriented Derevi control deck that this will definitely go into. Outland Colossus - Cause who doesn't like a 12/12 for 5? Looks perfect for my Xenagos deck, which also runs stuff like Berserk and Temur Battle-Rage.
Honorable Mentions: Dwynen, Gilt-Leaf Daen, Elemental Bond, Herald of the Pantheon, Nissa's Pilgrimage, Nissa's Revelation, Woodland Bellower, Zendikar's Roil - Green got hooked up big time in this set, just a ton of cards that are playable in the right deck.
Other Alhammarret's Archive - Another great life-gain doubler for the decks that want that, also makes Top even dumber. Hangarback Walker - Just a sweet little 2-drop that gives you value early or late. I'm gonna try this guy out in Vorel, where he could get large in a hurry. Might also try him in Edric, where the 1/1 flyers he eventually spits out would be gold. Pyromancer's Goggles - One of my favorite cards in the set, I don't have a deck for it right now but it is another one that is just so cool it makes me want to build one.
Honorable Mentions: Possessed Skaab, Shaman of the Pack, Thunderclap Wyvern, Chief of the Foundry, Sword of the Animist, Helm of the Gods, Foundry of the Consuls - Some solid role-players here, I especially like the Skaab for its versatility.
I'm surprised that Woodland Bellower has hardly been mentioned. Do people just think it's too obvious, and goes without saying? Seems like the "Hi! Design made me for EDH!" card of the set.
It's a vanilla creature. Yes is grabs a 3 drop and that can be value, but it isn't the combo maker are alpha strike enabler that some creatures are. He seems fine but what does it bump/replace?
Wildfire - my assessment of Origins is hugely different when talking about EDH Cube. There's a lot of solid stuff in here. I thought no I'll be adding 4-6 cards.
It's a vanilla creature that draws you a Deadeye Navigator when it enters the battlefield. To me, Woodland Bellower looks like an all-star in any deck that's playing all three of Eternal Witness, Fierce Empath, and Reclamation Sage. I expect to see a lot of UG decks casting Woodland Bellower -> Fierce Empath -> Deadeye Navigator/Consecrated Sphinx.
You must be trollin' Languish is not a watered down version of Damnation?
It won't even kill a Siege Rhino which is a pretty common threat in Standard, the only format Languish is going to be good mediocre in.
I missed this one...
No, this is an amazing card that is not a watered down version of another card. It's like an amped up Black Sun's Zenith and that's already a staple. I don't know how many board wipes I need in black with most of the decks I build since I don't make mono-colored decks anymore. But, it's obviously one of the best 3-4 creature wipes in Mono-Black.
I'm personally very excited about Flameshadow Conjuring. I will test it out in my Maelstrom Wanderer, seems like a harder to kill alternative to Flamerush Rider.
Sword of the Animist seems really good for non-green decks that are mana hungry.
What else? Any thoughts?
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Talent of the Telepath Seems like random fun to use, even if you whiff.
Starfield of Nyx opalescence on juice
Tragic Arrogance
Shadows of the Past
Chandra's Ignition Hahaha, smashes boards and faces
Flameshadow Conjuring nuts, just nuts
Evolutionary Leap hope it stays cheap, its amazing
The Great Aurora I like warp world, so this looks fun
Alhammarret's Archive Awesome ability, I think I will see it in Oloro but for me its in Chainer
Pyromancer's Goggles Seems fun to use
Sword of the Animist great rampant growth effect for non-green
Gideon - Right at home in decks that like Gideon 1, and he's definitely a stronger Mono-white Voltron or White Weenie commander than Isamaru.
Jace - Ehhh...I said most for a reason, and he's the reason. The -3 is about all he's got going for him, unless you really want a Merfolk Looter in your command zone.
Liliana - Lili's got a lot of potential as a reanimator commander, and she's definitely decent in the 99 of other commanders (Looking at you, Tasigur.)
Chandra - Chandra's got more going for her than Jace does, but not a lot. Getting her to flip is a tall order unless you happen to sneak her into combat T3 or T4, and she doesn't have built-in protection like Gideon. Still, once she flips, getting free Shocks on opposing creatures is definitely solid, and her ultimate is guaranteed to put your opponents on a fast clock. Is wildly better in 1V1, where Burn can actually be good.
Nissa - Before I talk about her support roles (if you don't want to read that, play her in your 99 if you like value) let's discuss her viability as a commander, which is...kind of lacking. It's not all her fault though, she's just got some fierce competition (Azusa and Omnath laugh at her) but if you're looking for a non-threatening mono-green commander that's still good, Nissa might just be your golden ticket. However, in the 99, she's amazing. Assuming she flips when she comes in, you're getting a worse Nature's Lore + a Coiling Oracle or a 4/4 at a MINIMUM. If she sticks around, she's a better Phyrexian Arena and she takes the pedal to the floor when you've got anything that reveals the top card of your deck (like Oracle of Mul Daya and Courser of Kruphix, which probably already have slots in green decks worth their salt).
Currently Piloting:
EDH
BGGlissa, The Traitor - Recursion (Primer)
WBRKaalia of The Vast
URGRiku of Two Reflections
WUBSydri, Galvanic Genius
UBRamirez DePietro
GWKrond, The Dawn-Clad
GWUDerevi, Empyrial Tactician
RGOmnath, Locus of Rage
Modern
UG Infect
Why do people insist on saying she's a better phyrexian arena? Similar to arena, maybe. Better, not by a long shot. You have to wait until your main phase then you have to use her +1 and the card is revealed. Plus she dies to the most common card in the game: creatures. She's good, but please stop saying she's better than a vastly superior card.
Your assessment of the others I agree with. Looking at getting Liliana into my Chainer deck and probably will switch over my Darien deck to a Gideon Bros deck.
I see a lot of stuff that feels like watered down versions of other cards, so aside from Languish I see a bunch of bleh.
WUBRGPauper Battle BoxWUBRG ... and why I am not a fan of Wayne Reynolds' Illustrations.
You must be trollin'
Languish is not a watered down version of Damnation?
It won't even kill a Siege Rhino which is a pretty common threat in Standard, the only format Languish is going to be
goodmediocre in.I'm not super excited about much else.
Maybe Pyromancer's Goggles in Riku.
Cheers!
Krichaiushii on PucaTrade.
Abbot of Keral Keep: Red likes card advantage engines in any form it can get them, so pairing this alongside Conjurer's Closet or Erratic Portal seems like it could be a good way to go. I think that Prowess makes this much better than people think.
Animist's Awakening: Ramp that scales upwards is pretty awesome. Reminds me a lot of Boundless Realms except you have an option of playing it for 3-4 mana to ramp much earlier than waiting for 7 mana.
Archangel of Tithes: Will go into a lot of pillowfort strategies, but the card is great at just protecting you from getting run over by token strategies.
Displacement Wave: Blue continues to get more good mass-bounce effects.
Elemental Bond: Green also loves its card drawing engines and this one seems particularly easy to put to good use. This goes perfectly into something like Mayael the Anima.
Evolutionary Leap: A poor man's Survival of the Fittest, this is not going to impact games like it does. But the fact that creatures are natural going to die and you can turn them into more cards when you need to, this should be played in a ton of decks.
Flameshadow Conjuring: Adding essentially to the casting cost of each of your creatures for the upside of having a temporary copy is going to appeal to some decks more than others, but those decks with lot of ETB abilities this can deal a lot of damage.
Hallowed Moonlight: Will sneak into some decks as a metagame answer to tokens or reanimator strategies.
Jace's Sanctum: Cost reducers like this can be awesome, and in a deck like Talrand, Niv-Mizzet, or Jhoira this will do a lot of work.
Kothophed, Soul Hoarder: I'm going to try this in Endrek Sahr Stax, but I see this as being a great mid to late game way to refuel.
Languish: Having pinpoint control of your wrath effect can make a big difference, allowing you to focus on running 5-toughness dudes that can survive.
Liliana, Heretical Healer/Liliana, Defiant Necromancer: There seems to be a lof of controversy as to exactly how good she is in EDH, but I think we're all going to find out sooner rather than later because I see a lot of people at least trying her out.
Nissa, Vastwood Seer/Nissa, Sage Animist: Unlike Liliana, I don't think there is any controversy as to how good Nissa is going to be; she's awesome. I don't think she makes a good commander, but I'm going to maindeck her in as many decks as I can.
Nissa's Pilgrimage: It can't fix your colors like Kodama's Reach or Cultivate, but its still quite the awesome ramp card.
Nissa's Revelation: I like this card a lot and sometimes green needs some help drawing cards. It plays much differently that other green card draw where this rewards you for playing bigger creatures while cards like Regal Force reward you for playing cheaper creatures or having tokens.
Pia and Kiran Nalaar: The combination of abilities seems perfect for what a lot of current decks are already trying to do.
Sword of the Animist: I'm less convinced that this is going to be a format staple than some, but I do think it will help a lot of creature-based deck ramp up. Mono-W, Mono-R, and RW agro strategies are going to love it.
The Great Aurora: A huge wow-factor card that is going to make for some eventful and interesting game situations.
Thopter Spy Network: Decks like Arcum and Sharuum are going to love this.
Tragic Arrogance: Mass destruction on this scale can be highly abusable. It feels a lot like Cataclysm without the mass-LD and without giving your opponent the choice.
Vryn Wingmare: Will go into Thalia decks and other decks that want to tax non-creature spells.
Woodland Bellower: Pure value-engine that will tutor up and put things like Eternal Witness, Yavimaya Elder, or Reclamation Sage into play.
Zendikar's Roil: I think there is a lot of potential for this card. I haven't figured out just where it will fit best, but I'm definitely going to try and break it.
Cards that I will also be trying out because they fit my deck's theme:
Alhammarret's Archive: Is going into my Trostani Lifegain deck
Blessed Spirits, Helm of the Gods, Herald of the Pantheon, Starfield of Nyx: Will all get tried in my Uril enchantress deck.
Dwynen, Gilt-Leaf Daen: Straight into Ezuri Elves.
Embermaw Hellion, Exquisite Firecraft, Pyromancer's Goggles: Will all get played in Gisela Burn
Patron of the Valiant: I'm going to try this in my Ghave +1/+1 counter deck.
Priest of the Blood Rite: I like this for Endrek Sahr. It's perfect sacrifice fodder for lots of decks.
Shadows of the Past: I think this has a slot in my BW Obzedat Drain Life deck.
Jalira, Master Polymorphist | Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder | Bosh, Iron Golem | Ezuri, Renegade Leader
Brago, King Eternal | Oona, Queen of the Fae | Wort, Boggart Auntie | Wort, the Raidmother
Captain Sisay | Rhys, the Redeemed | Trostani, Selesnya's Voice | Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
Gisela, Blade of Goldnight | Obzedat, Ghost Council | Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind | Vorel of the Hull Clade
Uril, the Miststalker | Prossh, Skyraider of Kher | Nicol Bolas | Progenitus
Ghave, Guru of Spores | Zedruu the Greathearted | Damia, Sage of Stone | Riku of Two Reflections
You must have the world's most hardcore playgroup.
Honestly, it makes me happy that your group won't use anything from Origins. It means nothing in the set is entirely format warping, which is a good thing.
OT: There's around 10-15 cards that will see play, most of them are for redundancy.
"I hope to have such a death... lying in triumph atop the broken bodies of those who slew me..."
Nissa, Sage Animist is a worse Phyrexian Arena, but Arena is a great card.
Jace's Sanctum is really good too. It's just somewhat costly and probably not at good as Sapphire Medallion or Thassa, God of the Sea
I've told you this many times before... we aren't that hardcore. I can't speak for them but for myself I look at cards like Evolutionary Leap and see a slowed down version of Survival because it doesn't even put the creature into play. It's a solid green sac card, but I've never felt like I really wanted one like this. The demonic tutor/dark ritual thingy is cool, but it's really conditional and will almost always be an overcosted Diabolic Tutor. Other cards are really cool (I love the design of a ton of cards here) but in a developed EDH group every card will be seen not only as what it adds to decks but what you have to cut. In every single case I look at (probably those same 10-15) cards and think "wow, that's pretty sweet. Where does it go in archetype X?" And then I'm cutting things that have worked for years that should perform better than what Origins gave us. It's really not a critique of Origins so much as the reality of an ever-growing non-rotating pool of cards that can tap into the most powerful or efficient cards made.
None of the effects in Origins are particularly powerful despite being unique enough in their own rite. I mean really, when 5 years ago I was already having trouble finding space for new cards and they've printed about 20 sets since then the odds of a card making it into a deck is pretty small unless it's a unique or powerful legend... then it's just "sorta small." I don't look for format warping cards - I hate when one shows up. But I do aim to improve and explore creatively with my deck building. Nothing here does both.
WUBRGPauper Battle BoxWUBRG ... and why I am not a fan of Wayne Reynolds' Illustrations.
Okay, let me ask you this then: what are some cards that would see play in your decks? What are the level of effects that would be required?
The reason I ask is because I run a Mono-G good stuff deck. With 38 lands in the deck, there are 61 slots available. Which means to replace a card in the deck, it has to be one of the 61 best Green or colorless cards in Magic history. Needless to say, any card in a standard set which can be placed into the top 61 cards in the history of the game is going to be format warping.
"I hope to have such a death... lying in triumph atop the broken bodies of those who slew me..."
As a fellow Uril Enchantress deck runner, I don't really think another of those cards are worth running except maybe the Starfield. I feel like the other cards are weaker versions of other cards or don't fit properly.
Also, for the Archive, doesn't it make sense for an Obzedat deck? You are draining and gaining and I'd imagine running some black 'cards for life' spells.
MuzzioU XenagosGR NahiriW GitrogGB MarathGRW MarchesaUBR JenaraGUW KarlovBW TazriWUBRG
Retired: RakdosBR
It'll be ridiculous in daretti. I'll draw 4 cards from daretti, wild guess, tormenting voice, faithless looting, etc thanks.
My G Yisan, the Bard of Death G deck.
My BUGWR Hermit druid BUGWR deck.
I wish there was another Wood Elf or some other Avengerlike army in a can. I feel like those are two effects I want redundancy on.
WUBRGPauper Battle BoxWUBRG ... and why I am not a fan of Wayne Reynolds' Illustrations.
The Enchantress cards may very well not be worth running, but I'm at least going to try them out. It's a shame too because I'd like to shake the deck up a little bit, so I'm going to rotate a few of them into the deck just to see what happens.
An yes, Archive would definitely be a possible inclusion in Obzedat. The deck does gain a ton of life and runs Disciple of Bolas, Night's Whisper, Sign in Blood, Decree of Pain, and Phyrexian Arena, but the one card I'm really excited to try it with is Sensei's Divining Top. It's too bad it doesn't work with Necropotence (except to gain a lot more life to fuel it), but I guess you can't have everything...
Jalira, Master Polymorphist | Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder | Bosh, Iron Golem | Ezuri, Renegade Leader
Brago, King Eternal | Oona, Queen of the Fae | Wort, Boggart Auntie | Wort, the Raidmother
Captain Sisay | Rhys, the Redeemed | Trostani, Selesnya's Voice | Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
Gisela, Blade of Goldnight | Obzedat, Ghost Council | Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind | Vorel of the Hull Clade
Uril, the Miststalker | Prossh, Skyraider of Kher | Nicol Bolas | Progenitus
Ghave, Guru of Spores | Zedruu the Greathearted | Damia, Sage of Stone | Riku of Two Reflections
Jace, Vryn's Prodigy in reanimator.
The Unidentified Fantastic Flying Girl.
EDH
Xenagos, the God of Stompy
The Gitrog Monster: Oppressive Value.
Marchesa, Marionette Master - Undying Robots
Yuriko, the Hydra Omnivore
I make dolls as a hobby.
White
Tragic Arrogance - One of my favorites. Obviously the primary use will be clearing out creatures, but the fact that it can also hose a heavy artifact/enchantment player will come up regularly in EDH too. What I like most about it, aside from the utility, is that it has great political potential. Being able to neuter the biggest threats while making friends elsewhere is awesome. I'd consider this in any EDH deck, and am especially excited to run it in my Zedruu build, where I can make it even better with her donation ability.
Starfield of Nyx - This card is just sweet, being a value engine and a win-con in one fairly costed package. I don't have a deck for it, but this is the kind of card that makes me want to build a deck just so I can play it.
Honorable Mentions: Relic Seeker, Consul's Lieutenant, Hixus, Prison Warden, and Sentinel of the Eternal Watch - All good enough for EDH IMO, just not as exciting as the other two.
Blue
Thopter Spy Network - Awesome card, kinda like Starfield in that it wants to be built around and rewards you handsomely for doing so. I don't have a deck for this right now, but I wish I did.
Honorable Mentions: Whirler Rogue, Jace, Vryn's Prodigy, slim pickings in blue but it is tough to go wrong with Jace. He isn't amazing or anything, just a solid card, especially for any deck that wants to get stuff into the graveyard. I really appreciate permanents in EDH that can be played early yet retain real value late in the game.
Black
Demonic Pact - Coolest card in the set by a mile, and in EDH we have access to ALL the goodies needed to abuse it. Bounce it, blink it, or even use it as a win-con by donating it.
Kothophed, Soul Hoarder - Love this ability, SO powerful but with a steep price. IMO that price will be worth paying most of the time...and when it isn't you can rig the scales by making sure you include instant speed sac effects and life gain around this guy.
Languish - Just a good efficient sweeper.
Honorable Mentions: Dark Petition, Gilt-Leaf Winnower, Graveblade Marauder, Liliana, Heretical Healer, Priest of the Blood Rite, Shadows of the Past, Tainted Remedy - Just a ton of solid cards and/or interesting role-players here for black, a nice haul.
Red
Flameshadow Conjuring - Agreed with the OP, this looks like a lot of fun. Seems especially silly in something like Maelstrom or Animar, where you can really abuse the various ETB creatures those decks tend to run in high concentrations. Venser your spell...and use the copy to bounce my own Venser back, lol. Not broken by any means, just a solid value card that should be fun.
Honorable Mentions: Pia and Kiran Nalaar, Ghirapur Aether Grid, Embermaw Hellion, Chandra's Ignition - Not a great haul here, but some decent role players in the right decks.
Green
Evolutionary Leap - Great way to get value out of creatures that were going to die anyway, or out of small stuff and tokens. Plus having an instant speed sac outlet can be very handy.
The Great Aurora - Warp World has always been a personal favorite and this looks like it could play similarly. Find a way to make a bunch of tokens or otherwise cheat the numbers then reset the game with a major advantage.
Managorger Hydra - Cause who doesn't like a huge trampler for 3 mana?
Nissa, Vastwood Seer - Same reason I like Jace, having a creature that has utility early and is a solid threat late is very nice. I have a PW-oriented Derevi control deck that this will definitely go into.
Outland Colossus - Cause who doesn't like a 12/12 for 5? Looks perfect for my Xenagos deck, which also runs stuff like Berserk and Temur Battle-Rage.
Honorable Mentions: Dwynen, Gilt-Leaf Daen, Elemental Bond, Herald of the Pantheon, Nissa's Pilgrimage, Nissa's Revelation, Woodland Bellower, Zendikar's Roil - Green got hooked up big time in this set, just a ton of cards that are playable in the right deck.
Other
Alhammarret's Archive - Another great life-gain doubler for the decks that want that, also makes Top even dumber.
Hangarback Walker - Just a sweet little 2-drop that gives you value early or late. I'm gonna try this guy out in Vorel, where he could get large in a hurry. Might also try him in Edric, where the 1/1 flyers he eventually spits out would be gold.
Pyromancer's Goggles - One of my favorite cards in the set, I don't have a deck for it right now but it is another one that is just so cool it makes me want to build one.
Honorable Mentions: Possessed Skaab, Shaman of the Pack, Thunderclap Wyvern, Chief of the Foundry, Sword of the Animist, Helm of the Gods, Foundry of the Consuls - Some solid role-players here, I especially like the Skaab for its versatility.
Currently Playing:
Legacy: Something U/W Controlish
EDH Cube
Hypercube! A New EDH Deck Every Week(ish)!
It's a vanilla creature. Yes is grabs a 3 drop and that can be value, but it isn't the combo maker are alpha strike enabler that some creatures are. He seems fine but what does it bump/replace?
Wildfire - my assessment of Origins is hugely different when talking about EDH Cube. There's a lot of solid stuff in here. I thought no I'll be adding 4-6 cards.
WUBRGPauper Battle BoxWUBRG ... and why I am not a fan of Wayne Reynolds' Illustrations.
I missed this one...
No, this is an amazing card that is not a watered down version of another card. It's like an amped up Black Sun's Zenith and that's already a staple. I don't know how many board wipes I need in black with most of the decks I build since I don't make mono-colored decks anymore. But, it's obviously one of the best 3-4 creature wipes in Mono-Black.
WUBRGPauper Battle BoxWUBRG ... and why I am not a fan of Wayne Reynolds' Illustrations.