Heir most certainly has the best upside of the current discard outlets in black. I'm not in the market for such a card, but if I were I'd pick her.
And in case anyone's wondering, the reason I like Mongrels is that they can turn the worst card(s) in my hand into a combat trick and/or conditional removal spell. This interaction is way more interesting and relevant than just discarding to fuel a (nonexistent) 'yard strategy or make a chump into a quality body.
I can't say I dig many of these "graveyard matters" cards. I just don't quite support that archetype (yet). I think an inherent problem with the graveyard matters cards is that the graveyard is very difficult to interact with in Peasant.
That aside, the Angel is meh. 6 mana for a card that is only good when you can lethal your opponent (usually) and has below average P/T in relation to it's cmc... I'll pass.
QFT. It's unfortunate that so much design space for the shot is bogged down in strategies and mechanics we can't easily use outside of SOI/EMN Limited. I've made my peace with it, nonetheless (and I think this set has actually managed to come out with so much better designs overall).
I've actually got a soft spot for her as well. I've reasoned that a 4/6 Vig for 5 is a pretty good rate, and the extra 1 mana is for the pseudo-freezing ability. Seems like solid value overall.
Yeah, was coming to ask whether people find Subjugator Angel to be a yay or a nay. I am actually not all that impressed since it only allows you to alpha, basically, and comes at a hefty price. 4/3 is also not that good a stat pool. They for some reason just could not make this a 4/4 - sigh. But it is still very much under consideration.
It's somewhere in the Noble Templar range of fine but never actually worth cubing white 6-drops.
Cards just end up in your graveyard indiscriminately, so you can't call that a scry 1 in any form.
Ah, right. Completely misread that and was thinking you reveal them first for some reason when I saw it was a "may" effect. Neeevermind, that's disappointing.
It's unfortunate that so much design space for the shot is bogged down in strategies and mechanics we can't easily use outside of SOI/EMN Limited. I've made my peace with it, nonetheless (and I think this set has actually managed to come out with so much better designs overall).
I don't think we're doing that badly in terms of playables, and since the already spoiled cards are mostly rares we have a lot of commons and uncommons left to be seen. Also, spells-matter and graveyard-matters are archetypes that I'm happy to support in Peasant cube (and I don't seem to be alone in this) so some of the cards that are meant to shine in EMN/SOI draft could also do just fine in Peasant cubes supporting these particular archetypes. Just out of what's already been spoiled, I'm interested in trying the following cards in my Peasant cube:
So far, the only thing I've been frustrated by with this set is how slowly they've been spoiling the commons and uncommons because I'm sure there are some cool new toys in what's left that they've been holding out on.
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465 card Unpowered cube thread. Draft it here and I'll be happy to return the favor.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
I really like the flood of CU cards on the last day, actually. Obv the vast majority is limited filler, but just seeing so many things at once is sweet.
I really like the flood of CU cards on the last day, actually. Obv the vast majority is limited filler, but just seeing so many things at once is sweet.
Like flicking through the .25c bin at a game store, it's fun to find a few gems among the trash.
I can't say I dig many of these "graveyard matters" cards. I just don't quite support that archetype (yet). I think an inherent problem with the graveyard matters cards is that the graveyard is very difficult to interact with in Peasant.
That aside, the Angel is meh. 6 mana for a card that is only good when you can lethal your opponent (usually) and has below average P/T in relation to it's cmc... I'll pass.
QFT. It's unfortunate that so much design space for the shot is bogged down in strategies and mechanics we can't easily use outside of SOI/EMN Limited. I've made my peace with it, nonetheless (and I think this set has actually managed to come out with so much better designs overall).
Hey, at least the graveyard is more accessible than the inbred devoid/Ally dichotomy that dominated Zendikar 2.
Honestly, it seems like most of the time we get a story-driven set, the mechanics are very limited to that world. Something like Khans block, where the starting point was "Let's do another Wedge block!" and mechanics were the ground floor, rather than the story, didn't feel as self-absorbed (although it missed out on giving us at on of includes because... multicolor).
It's not really any surprise to me that Origins was so good to us. And it makes me a mix of hopeful/apprehensive for Kaladesh, which doesn't have as established flavor as the remake sets.
In before the Phyrexians are the villains and we get infect again.
As far as cards I'm thinking of including... Lashweed Lurker seems... okay, but I don't think I really know how to evaluate Emerge. How good is sacrificing a guy for a mana discount when the cost we're discounting from is 7? Would we still play Flametongue Kavu if we had to sacrifice a guy to cast it for four? But I should really get rid of Skyrider Elf and I don't want to add another CMC3 Simic card and this is a bit more exciting than the Cockatrice so I guess things just aligned enough for me to try it out. Blessed Alliance seems like a hell of a sideboard card against aggro but I already have one of those (Timely) and I don't know what to cut for more. I agree with others that the "untap two guys" mode will be less useful in Cube than traditional limited. Unsubstantiate reminded me I should just man up and buy a Remand for my Cube instead of keeping my copies for constructed. Smoldering Werewolf seems cool. Having trouble dropping a red four though. Kessig Prowler makes me think maybe it's time to drop Wild Nacatl?
Alternatively, I could try Gnarlwood Dryad, but I have this thing with Deathtouch creatures that buff their power, I feel like it's dis-synergy. Also my graveyard deck is more Worm Harvest and less Nimble Mongoose.
Upgrading (sidegrading?) Wild Mongrel to Noose Constrictor.
Not bad for what's been released so far, I guess, but nothing that really has me hyped up. Seems more like cards I'll pick up and then stare at my current sections, give a shrug and "eh," and not include them.
Alternatively, I could try Gnarlwood Dryad, but I have this thing with Deathtouch creatures that buff their power, I feel like it's dis-synergy.
If you attack with this unbuffed, your opponent will probably just let it through. Buffed it can be a threat that they may have to reluctantly block with a better creature. It probably won't come up often with a deathtoucher of this size, but if your opponent has a couple of 2/4's or something, they are going to lose both of them if they really need to kill it.
As far as emerge goes, vexing scuttler and mockery of nature both look really good. The way I've been evaluating them is thinking about saccing a three-four drop creature and if that sounds worth it.
Definitely add: Kessig Prowler
I want to support aggro in green so this gets a spot for sure. Tattered Haunter
I think I want a 3rd one. Blue aggro/tempo is a thing in my cube and I am was looking for a replacement for Quickling. Weaver of Lightning
Mono-colored Gelectrode with relevant body. Can't hit players but that's reasonable. Noose Constrictor
Upgrade for Wild Mongrel (there are 5 cards in my cube that care about color and 25+ flying creatures/tokens).
Maybe add: Nebelgast Herald
Maybe instead of Pestermite? I got 11 spirits and spirit token makers which I think makes Pestermite the better one for now. Deranged Whelp
Seems ok, but I don't think I like it more than any of my other 2 drops. Smoldering Werewolf
Don't think I want anymore divivable burn cards but it does seem strong.
So, with the advent of the full spoiler, here are my considerations...
Blessed Alliance: Maybe. The effects and modularity are definitely still viable. Drogskol Shieldmate: Likely not good enough to break it but I love flash. Viable but weak combat trick. Faith Unbroken: An interesting take on Journey to Nowhere. Since I support doublestriking, under consideration. Geist of the Lonely Vigil: Might be a delirium trap but nice for the cost. Subjugator Angel: Probably not. I actually quite enjoy the aforementioned Noble Templar, thank you. Extricator of Sin: Get in mah CU/be. Probably. Lone Rider: So durdly... So high ceiling. I want it.
Blood Mist: Uuuu... UUUU! I am a sucker for doublestrike. Deranged Whelp: I do like pseudo-evasion on aggressive early drops. I think this is the first of its kind for use? Furyblade Vampire: Probably too costly to use... But still, worth a mention in my durdly books. Otherworldly Outburst: Another definitive maybe. Savage Alliance: I could see this working. Also, a sucker for modular cards. The effects synergize well. Conduit of Storms: I have a weak spot for transformers. Smoldering Werewolf: Definitely.
Uuuf. What a set. Neglected Heirloom just got a spot as well. A number of solid inclusions, even more durdly considerations. Emerge creatures are quite hard to evaluate, though...
Savage Alliance looks insanely good. Like, Arc Lightning good. Can't hit players, but 3R to Bolt something + Electrickery the rest... at instant speed!? Jeeeeez.
From my initial look, this is what I see for my cube:
White:
Probably nothing
Blue:
Probably nothing
Black: Graf Harvest looks interesting, probably too slow though
Red: Brazen wolves - 2/3 for 3, 4/3 when attacks... looks pretty good, love me some Borderland Marauder Deranged Whelp - 2/1 menace for 2, not terrible, will think about it Furyblade Vampire - Trample makes this card very tempting, not sure how many cards I would need to discard for this to be worth it, but I think this card could be a beating... Savage alliance - Seems good, wish the 2 damage could go upstairs, again another to think about Thermo-alchemist - I kind of like it, 2 mana really sells the card to me, spells matter/control deck card, I will probably test
Just as a side-note, Hamlet Captain is a reprint from Innistrad, ahhhabee. Green's 2-drop spot has been spoilt of late, though, so I would have to imagine that if you did not even notice it before, it would probably not find a slot now either.
Faith Unbroken gives you another way to tutor for removal with cards like Heliod's Pilgrim and Totem-Guide Hartebeest. It's also a huge tempo play to be able to remove their best/only blocker and be attacking with a larger creature right away. I just added more enchantment/aura support so definitely testing this.
Chilling Grasp is an improvement over Frost Breath, which I know isn't ubiquitous, but worth noting. Geist of the Archives is super durdly, but maybe there are decks that could use it. If it had flying I'd be more tempted.
Liliana's Elite probably costs one too much to be good, but it's notable if you have a heavy graveyard or self-mill theme in black.
Brazen Wolves seems like it's probably better than at least one other aggro red creature. A 4/3 attacker for 3 is really solid stat-wise. Deranged Whelp is similarly probably better than at least one of the existing 2-drops, just a matter of figuring out which. Otherworldly Outburst looks good in theory - it can force a trade up while leaving you with a 3/2 left behind for just one mana. Probably too situational though. Shreds of Sanity is interesting for a spells-matter deck, but feels like it might be too narrow/durdly.
So this is where they hid all the good cards for the last 3 sets!
Seriously, so much good stuff here (in addition to borderline testables and pet cards). I'm legitimately surprised and impressed. I won't call it a comeback until/unless they start putting out this level of quality cards on a more consistent basis, but this is certainly a good start. Sucks that black got shafted so badly though (but I suppose retail Limited enthusiasts might beg to differ).
B - Heir of Falkenrath // Heir to the Night: Yes, shes's not EMN, but I felt it made sense to include her here. She wore me down. Also all this talk of bears reminded me that she's actually kinda short on competition. I'll give her a shot until black's two drops improve Borrowed Malevolence: I'll be the first to admit it's not a stellar card, but I'm in the market for black combat tricks (even the mediocre ones)
R - Brazen Wolves: red 3-drop that doesn't suck, case closed Otherworldly Outburst: this is a little narrow admittedly, but what a value/blowout when it works Savage Alliance: I had to re-read it to realize that this card really just says "pay 4 to bolt a guy and ping his buddies." As such, it's definitely acceptable. Also, given the current design philosophy around red, I fear this is the closest we'll get to an instant speed Arc Lightning variant for a long while (if ever). Conduit of Storms // Conduit of Emrakul: I'm less hot on the installment costs than others, so this gang of Eldrazi Werewolves hasn't exactly done much for me. Still, this guy might be the second best of them, especially since his effect can help him transform on curve. I can also see a ramp deck wanting this guy. I'll try it.
G - Kessig Prowler // Sinuous Predator: The best of the tainted Werewolves. An intercepting Jungle Lion with upside. Need I say more? Noose Constrictor: Wild Mongrel has never looked better. I'll probably try to snap multiples (assuming people don't hoard them). Clear Shot: This is basically the exact type of improved Prey Upon I've been looking for. I can even see this making some regular cubes. As long as Wizards keeps printing improved fight effects, I'll keep adding them. Somberwald Stag: This guy wants to be a fair Flametongue Kavu. Thing is, I'm not sure I want a fair Kavu. I'll try it, but this is a borderline pick.
Sadly still no artifacts or lands worth discussing. I guess we'll have to wait till Conspiracy and Commander for those.
Oh yeah, and I think Borrowed Grace vs. Swell of Courage is going to be an interesting consideration. At 5 they're identical, so it comes down to which alternate mode is better - Reinforce, or Fortify?
I took a cursory glance at the full spoiler, and I'm really not all that impressed. I don't think we got many slam dunks. Lots of cards to "consider", but I'll take a more thorough look at the spoiler tomorrow, when I'm more awake! haha
I took a cursory glance at the full spoiler, and I'm really not all that impressed. I don't think we got many slam dunks. Lots of cards to "consider", but I'll take a more thorough look at the spoiler tomorrow, when I'm more awake! haha
As someone who's a lot more discriminating and less prone to hyperbole, I'll just say that I think you'll be pleasantly surprised when you have time (and energy) to process the set.
Drogskol Shieldmate - The combination of a surprise attacker/blocker and combat trick has me intrigued. I'll try it over the somewhat unreliable Mardu Hordechief.
UUU
Geist of the Archives - I really wish this cost 1U, but being able to blank an attacker while improving card quality seems good for control and skies decks. I'm not sure what to cut for it yet.
Scour the Laboratory - I'm also surprised there isn't a bit more buzz about this card. This probably won't cost 2UU very often on turn 4 that often, but since that usually won't be when you'll be casting this anyway you'll probably be able to get the discount by the time you want to be casting this often enough. Obviously this gets better with more loot and grave-pulse effects. I'm not sure what to cut for it yet, but I plan to make room for this.
Ingenious Skaab - I like this upgrade to Watercourser, a card which really impressed me in ORI limited. I'm testing this over Jhessian Thief, a card I've found unreliable.
BBB
Nothing looks worth even testing! That's pretty lame since this is supposed to be a horror themed set.
RRR
Conduit of Storms - This looks like it has real potential. It may not be as aggressive as Hardened Berserker, but the extra toughness means it's more likely to survive going into the red zone to get you that extra R. Assuming you make your 4th land drop, this can transform on turn 4, and the fact that the transformation costs 3RR also helps shore up the lack of playable red 5-drops. I think I'll test this over the too fragile Vaultbreaker.
Smoldering Werewolf - I'm a bit less high on this than some people seem to be, because the Dual Shot trigger seems like it could whiff, but the option to transform this for 4RR into an absolute monster gets it there for me. I'll probably cut Keldon Champion for this, or maybe Embodiment of Fury.
Brazen Wolves - It's not exciting, but an attacking 4/3 for 2R is too efficient to ignore. So long Fervent Cathar.
GGG
Shrill Howler - I'm not sure what to make of this. This kind of evasion's been decent on Den Protector in my rare cube, and I love the flip side of it, but it seems fragile. Still, I love an aggressive 3-drop in green. Not sure what to cut to try this, maybe Crocanura?
Somberwald Stag - This will probably be a 2-for-1 often enough to be worth it, but even if you're forced to trade this off a clunky removal spell is hardly the worst fail-case in green. I'll cut Nessian Asp or Nessian Game Warden for this.
Noose Constrictor - Definitely an improvement over Wild Mongrel, but I just might want both.
Gnarlwood Dryad - Cheap deathtouch creatures are underrated IMHO, as even without Delirium this will pretty much always trade up in Sedge Scorpion mode, and often with their best ground creature. I'm already running and loving Wasteland Viper, and I'm looking forward to running this too. Not sure what to cut for it yet, but it won't be the Viper.
Kessig Prowler - I haven't been supporting Jungle Lion aggro, but a Savannah Lions that can be cashed it for a Charging Rhino later on is too much power and versatility to ignore. There's no obvious cut for me, but this is definitely going in.
12345
Thirsting Axe - Am I crazy for thinking this has potential? The sac clause shouldn't matter as long as you're attacking with the creature you equipped with it, and in an aggressive deck or a deck with a lot of evasion this is going to provide reach and force trades pretty quickly. I have enough players that don't care for Conspiracies that I could probably cut one of them to try this.
Close but not quite....
Weaver of Lightning - If the trigger hit players as well as creatures I'd play this over Guttersnipe in a heartbeat. While I like the idea of a 1/4 with reach for counterburn and Rakdos sweeper control decks, I don't think the ping will matter often enough to make this better than a Rib Cage Spider in a color that wants it less. I do not like the trend in recent sets to make burn hit only players or only creatures. Let's make burn great again!
I'm also having a hard time evaluating the Emerge creatures. They're all obviously way too expensive to hardcast, but I'm not convinced giving up a non-token creature for a bigger creature is something you're going to want to be doing often enough even with an ETB trigger. I'll reconsider after I get in a few rounds of EMN limited.
The lack of decent black cards notwithstanding, I think we got a lot of cool cards to work with. There are great support cards for spells matter, graveyard matters, green aggro, and improvements for mid-ranged red decks.
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465 card Unpowered cube thread. Draft it here and I'll be happy to return the favor.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
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And in case anyone's wondering, the reason I like Mongrels is that they can turn the worst card(s) in my hand into a combat trick and/or conditional removal spell. This interaction is way more interesting and relevant than just discarding to fuel a (nonexistent) 'yard strategy or make a chump into a quality body.
QFT. It's unfortunate that so much design space for the shot is bogged down in strategies and mechanics we can't easily use outside of SOI/EMN Limited. I've made my peace with it, nonetheless (and I think this set has actually managed to come out with so much better designs overall).
I've actually got a soft spot for her as well. I've reasoned that a 4/6 Vig for 5 is a pretty good rate, and the extra 1 mana is for the pseudo-freezing ability. Seems like solid value overall.
I'm officially proposing we retire the word "insane" from the MtG vocabulary.
"The best way to be different is to be better" - Gene Muir
Cubes:
Modern Banlist Cube
Monocolor Budget Cube
My Peasant Cube thread !!! (380 cards)
Draft my Peasant Cube on Cube Cobra !!!
It's somewhere in the Noble Templar range of fine but never actually worth cubing white 6-drops.
Ah, right. Completely misread that and was thinking you reveal them first for some reason when I saw it was a "may" effect. Neeevermind, that's disappointing.
I don't think we're doing that badly in terms of playables, and since the already spoiled cards are mostly rares we have a lot of commons and uncommons left to be seen. Also, spells-matter and graveyard-matters are archetypes that I'm happy to support in Peasant cube (and I don't seem to be alone in this) so some of the cards that are meant to shine in EMN/SOI draft could also do just fine in Peasant cubes supporting these particular archetypes. Just out of what's already been spoiled, I'm interested in trying the following cards in my Peasant cube:
Curious Homunculus
Ingenious Skaab
Smoldering Werewolf
Kessig Prowlers
Gnarlwood Dryad
Grapple With the Past
Noose Constrictor
Lashweed Lurker
So far, the only thing I've been frustrated by with this set is how slowly they've been spoiling the commons and uncommons because I'm sure there are some cool new toys in what's left that they've been holding out on.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.
Like flicking through the .25c bin at a game store, it's fun to find a few gems among the trash.
Hey, at least the graveyard is more accessible than the inbred devoid/Ally dichotomy that dominated Zendikar 2.
Honestly, it seems like most of the time we get a story-driven set, the mechanics are very limited to that world. Something like Khans block, where the starting point was "Let's do another Wedge block!" and mechanics were the ground floor, rather than the story, didn't feel as self-absorbed (although it missed out on giving us at on of includes because... multicolor).
It's not really any surprise to me that Origins was so good to us. And it makes me a mix of hopeful/apprehensive for Kaladesh, which doesn't have as established flavor as the remake sets.
In before the Phyrexians are the villains and we get infect again.
As far as cards I'm thinking of including...
Lashweed Lurker seems... okay, but I don't think I really know how to evaluate Emerge. How good is sacrificing a guy for a mana discount when the cost we're discounting from is 7? Would we still play Flametongue Kavu if we had to sacrifice a guy to cast it for four? But I should really get rid of Skyrider Elf and I don't want to add another CMC3 Simic card and this is a bit more exciting than the Cockatrice so I guess things just aligned enough for me to try it out.
Blessed Alliance seems like a hell of a sideboard card against aggro but I already have one of those (Timely) and I don't know what to cut for more. I agree with others that the "untap two guys" mode will be less useful in Cube than traditional limited.
Unsubstantiate reminded me I should just man up and buy a Remand for my Cube instead of keeping my copies for constructed.
Smoldering Werewolf seems cool. Having trouble dropping a red four though.
Kessig Prowler makes me think maybe it's time to drop Wild Nacatl?
Alternatively, I could try Gnarlwood Dryad, but I have this thing with Deathtouch creatures that buff their power, I feel like it's dis-synergy. Also my graveyard deck is more Worm Harvest and less Nimble Mongoose.
Upgrading (sidegrading?) Wild Mongrel to Noose Constrictor.
Not bad for what's been released so far, I guess, but nothing that really has me hyped up. Seems more like cards I'll pick up and then stare at my current sections, give a shrug and "eh," and not include them.
Draft my Peasant Cube.
My CubeCobra (draft 20 card packs, 2 packs.)
430, Peasant, Very Unpowered
Why you should take your hybrids out of your gold section
Manamath Article
Kessig Prowler
I want to support aggro in green so this gets a spot for sure.
Tattered Haunter
I think I want a 3rd one. Blue aggro/tempo is a thing in my cube and I am was looking for a replacement for Quickling.
Weaver of Lightning
Mono-colored Gelectrode with relevant body. Can't hit players but that's reasonable.
Noose Constrictor
Upgrade for Wild Mongrel (there are 5 cards in my cube that care about color and 25+ flying creatures/tokens).
Maybe add:
Nebelgast Herald
Maybe instead of Pestermite? I got 11 spirits and spirit token makers which I think makes Pestermite the better one for now.
Deranged Whelp
Seems ok, but I don't think I like it more than any of my other 2 drops.
Smoldering Werewolf
Don't think I want anymore divivable burn cards but it does seem strong.
My C/Ube on Cube Cobra
Blessed Alliance: Maybe. The effects and modularity are definitely still viable.
Drogskol Shieldmate: Likely not good enough to break it but I love flash. Viable but weak combat trick.
Faith Unbroken: An interesting take on Journey to Nowhere. Since I support doublestriking, under consideration.
Geist of the Lonely Vigil: Might be a delirium trap but nice for the cost.
Subjugator Angel: Probably not. I actually quite enjoy the aforementioned Noble Templar, thank you.
Extricator of Sin: Get in mah CU/be. Probably.
Lone Rider: So durdly... So high ceiling. I want it.
Advanced Stitchling: Definitely worth considering. So much better than Stitchwing Skaab in my books.
Fogwalker: Nice design. A definitive maybe.
Nebelgast Herald: Depending on my final spirit count, might displace Pestermite.
Tattered Ghast: Functional reprint of a card which is still viable as a third copy.
Unsubstantiate: Probably not in CU/be but nice design.
Drownyard Behemoth: Hard to evaluate.
Vexing Scuttler: Definitely among the better emergers in my books.
Curious Homunculus: Maaybe? Three is not *that* many.
Graf Harvest: Probably too tribal but I like the design and effect for the initial cost.
Haunted Dead: Under consideration.
Ruthless Disposal: Too costly and still card disadvantage. Still, crazy design.
Whispers of Emrakul: Too unreliable but...
Abundant Maw: Hmmm... Maybe?
Blood Mist: Uuuu... UUUU! I am a sucker for doublestrike.
Deranged Whelp: I do like pseudo-evasion on aggressive early drops. I think this is the first of its kind for use?
Furyblade Vampire: Probably too costly to use... But still, worth a mention in my durdly books.
Otherworldly Outburst: Another definitive maybe.
Savage Alliance: I could see this working. Also, a sucker for modular cards. The effects synergize well.
Conduit of Storms: I have a weak spot for transformers.
Smoldering Werewolf: Definitely.
Clear Shot: Nice but not good enough green removal.
Foul Emissary: Too conditional. I wish its second effect was more universally applicable.
Gnarlwood Dryad: Back-up plan but might not make it because of the rush.
Grapple with the Past: Maybe?
Noose Constrictor: Depends on what I want from green.
Somberwald Stag: Its toughness is a bit on the low side but the effect is nice.
It of the Horrid Swarm: Maybe?
Mockery of Nature: Ditto.
Kessig Prowler: The best card of the set for me, without question.
Shrill Howler: Wizards, stahp. You are giving me an er... Err...
Tangleclaw Werewolf: Still on the brink of inclusion.
Cryptolith Fragment: Actually considering this.
Geist-Fueled Scarecrow: Probably not - but nice stats and would slot in some decks.
Uuuf. What a set. Neglected Heirloom just got a spot as well. A number of solid inclusions, even more durdly considerations. Emerge creatures are quite hard to evaluate, though...
White:
Probably nothing
Blue:
Probably nothing
Black:
Graf Harvest looks interesting, probably too slow though
Red:
Brazen wolves - 2/3 for 3, 4/3 when attacks... looks pretty good, love me some Borderland Marauder
Deranged Whelp - 2/1 menace for 2, not terrible, will think about it
Furyblade Vampire - Trample makes this card very tempting, not sure how many cards I would need to discard for this to be worth it, but I think this card could be a beating...
Savage alliance - Seems good, wish the 2 damage could go upstairs, again another to think about
Thermo-alchemist - I kind of like it, 2 mana really sells the card to me, spells matter/control deck card, I will probably test
Green:
Crop sigil - I think too slow and narrow
Grapple with the past - adding
Hamlet Captain - tribal card to think about, I have 15 red humans, 14 white, 6 green, 6 blue, 5 black, 6 multicolor
Noose constrictor - probably not
Somberwald stag - maybe? toughness might be too low for it
Multicolor section:
None
"Colorless" I will state this section has kind of made me excited:
Abundant Maw - interested, not sure yet
Drownyard Behemoth - intresting.. not sure yet
It of the horrid swarm - interested, probably test
lashweed lurker - adding!
vexing scuttler - interesting.. not sure yet
Wretched gryff - interesting.. not sure yet
I don't play flip cards in my cube so none of them are considered, nothing else here.
My 180 Peasant Cube on Cubetutor
Faith Unbroken gives you another way to tutor for removal with cards like Heliod's Pilgrim and Totem-Guide Hartebeest. It's also a huge tempo play to be able to remove their best/only blocker and be attacking with a larger creature right away. I just added more enchantment/aura support so definitely testing this.
Chilling Grasp is an improvement over Frost Breath, which I know isn't ubiquitous, but worth noting.
Geist of the Archives is super durdly, but maybe there are decks that could use it. If it had flying I'd be more tempted.
Liliana's Elite probably costs one too much to be good, but it's notable if you have a heavy graveyard or self-mill theme in black.
Brazen Wolves seems like it's probably better than at least one other aggro red creature. A 4/3 attacker for 3 is really solid stat-wise.
Deranged Whelp is similarly probably better than at least one of the existing 2-drops, just a matter of figuring out which.
Otherworldly Outburst looks good in theory - it can force a trade up while leaving you with a 3/2 left behind for just one mana. Probably too situational though.
Shreds of Sanity is interesting for a spells-matter deck, but feels like it might be too narrow/durdly.
My cube discussion thread
Seriously, so much good stuff here (in addition to borderline testables and pet cards). I'm legitimately surprised and impressed. I won't call it a comeback until/unless they start putting out this level of quality cards on a more consistent basis, but this is certainly a good start. Sucks that black got shafted so badly though (but I suppose retail Limited enthusiasts might beg to differ).
W -
Blessed Alliance (eff the haters, this card is solid)
U -
Curious Homunculus // Voracious Reader: Delver, meet you big brother
Ingenious Skaab: the two abilities are just enough to get there
Tattered Haunter: 3 of a kind is pushing it, but I'll deal
B -
Heir of Falkenrath // Heir to the Night: Yes, shes's not EMN, but I felt it made sense to include her here. She wore me down. Also all this talk of bears reminded me that she's actually kinda short on competition. I'll give her a shot until black's two drops improve
Borrowed Malevolence: I'll be the first to admit it's not a stellar card, but I'm in the market for black combat tricks (even the mediocre ones)
R -
Brazen Wolves: red 3-drop that doesn't suck, case closed
Otherworldly Outburst: this is a little narrow admittedly, but what a value/blowout when it works
Savage Alliance: I had to re-read it to realize that this card really just says "pay 4 to bolt a guy and ping his buddies." As such, it's definitely acceptable. Also, given the current design philosophy around red, I fear this is the closest we'll get to an instant speed Arc Lightning variant for a long while (if ever).
Conduit of Storms // Conduit of Emrakul: I'm less hot on the installment costs than others, so this gang of Eldrazi Werewolves hasn't exactly done much for me. Still, this guy might be the second best of them, especially since his effect can help him transform on curve. I can also see a ramp deck wanting this guy. I'll try it.
G -
Kessig Prowler // Sinuous Predator: The best of the tainted Werewolves. An intercepting Jungle Lion with upside. Need I say more?
Noose Constrictor: Wild Mongrel has never looked better. I'll probably try to snap multiples (assuming people don't hoard them).
Clear Shot: This is basically the exact type of improved Prey Upon I've been looking for. I can even see this making some regular cubes. As long as Wizards keeps printing improved fight effects, I'll keep adding them.
Somberwald Stag: This guy wants to be a fair Flametongue Kavu. Thing is, I'm not sure I want a fair Kavu. I'll try it, but this is a borderline pick.
Sadly still no artifacts or lands worth discussing. I guess we'll have to wait till Conspiracy and Commander for those.
I'm officially proposing we retire the word "insane" from the MtG vocabulary.
"The best way to be different is to be better" - Gene Muir
Cubes:
Modern Banlist Cube
Monocolor Budget Cube
My cube discussion thread
My Peasant Cube thread !!! (380 cards)
Draft my Peasant Cube on Cube Cobra !!!
As someone who's a lot more discriminating and less prone to hyperbole, I'll just say that I think you'll be pleasantly surprised when you have time (and energy) to process the set.
I'm officially proposing we retire the word "insane" from the MtG vocabulary.
"The best way to be different is to be better" - Gene Muir
Cubes:
Modern Banlist Cube
Monocolor Budget Cube
Kor Skyfisher vs Geist of the Lonely Vigil
Benalish Knight vs Drogskol Shieldmate
Pit Fight vs Clear shot
Sudden Reclamation vs Grapple with the past
Also looking for opinions in general on some cards I think look interesting but that I don't see others mentioning:
Scour the Laboratory
Turn Aside
Gavony Unhallowed
Liliana's Elite
Thraben Foulbloods
Strange Augmentation
Blood mist
Cards I'm thinking about including:
WWW
Drogskol Shieldmate - The combination of a surprise attacker/blocker and combat trick has me intrigued. I'll try it over the somewhat unreliable Mardu Hordechief.
UUU
Geist of the Archives - I really wish this cost 1U, but being able to blank an attacker while improving card quality seems good for control and skies decks. I'm not sure what to cut for it yet.
Scour the Laboratory - I'm also surprised there isn't a bit more buzz about this card. This probably won't cost 2UU very often on turn 4 that often, but since that usually won't be when you'll be casting this anyway you'll probably be able to get the discount by the time you want to be casting this often enough. Obviously this gets better with more loot and grave-pulse effects. I'm not sure what to cut for it yet, but I plan to make room for this.
Advanced Stitchwing - I've been wanting more resilient control finishers for a while. I'll test this over Murder of Crows.
Curious Homunculus - Nice toy for spells matter. I'll test over Azure Mage.
Ingenious Skaab - I like this upgrade to Watercourser, a card which really impressed me in ORI limited. I'm testing this over Jhessian Thief, a card I've found unreliable.
BBB
Nothing looks worth even testing! That's pretty lame since this is supposed to be a horror themed set.
RRR
Conduit of Storms - This looks like it has real potential. It may not be as aggressive as Hardened Berserker, but the extra toughness means it's more likely to survive going into the red zone to get you that extra R. Assuming you make your 4th land drop, this can transform on turn 4, and the fact that the transformation costs 3RR also helps shore up the lack of playable red 5-drops. I think I'll test this over the too fragile Vaultbreaker.
Smoldering Werewolf - I'm a bit less high on this than some people seem to be, because the Dual Shot trigger seems like it could whiff, but the option to transform this for 4RR into an absolute monster gets it there for me. I'll probably cut Keldon Champion for this, or maybe Embodiment of Fury.
Brazen Wolves - It's not exciting, but an attacking 4/3 for 2R is too efficient to ignore. So long Fervent Cathar.
GGG
Shrill Howler - I'm not sure what to make of this. This kind of evasion's been decent on Den Protector in my rare cube, and I love the flip side of it, but it seems fragile. Still, I love an aggressive 3-drop in green. Not sure what to cut to try this, maybe Crocanura?
Somberwald Stag - This will probably be a 2-for-1 often enough to be worth it, but even if you're forced to trade this off a clunky removal spell is hardly the worst fail-case in green. I'll cut Nessian Asp or Nessian Game Warden for this.
Noose Constrictor - Definitely an improvement over Wild Mongrel, but I just might want both.
Gnarlwood Dryad - Cheap deathtouch creatures are underrated IMHO, as even without Delirium this will pretty much always trade up in Sedge Scorpion mode, and often with their best ground creature. I'm already running and loving Wasteland Viper, and I'm looking forward to running this too. Not sure what to cut for it yet, but it won't be the Viper.
Grapple With the Past - Looks decent, I'll try this over Satyr Wayfinder.
Kessig Prowler - I haven't been supporting Jungle Lion aggro, but a Savannah Lions that can be cashed it for a Charging Rhino later on is too much power and versatility to ignore. There's no obvious cut for me, but this is definitely going in.
12345
Thirsting Axe - Am I crazy for thinking this has potential? The sac clause shouldn't matter as long as you're attacking with the creature you equipped with it, and in an aggressive deck or a deck with a lot of evasion this is going to provide reach and force trades pretty quickly. I have enough players that don't care for Conspiracies that I could probably cut one of them to try this.
Close but not quite....
Weaver of Lightning - If the trigger hit players as well as creatures I'd play this over Guttersnipe in a heartbeat. While I like the idea of a 1/4 with reach for counterburn and Rakdos sweeper control decks, I don't think the ping will matter often enough to make this better than a Rib Cage Spider in a color that wants it less. I do not like the trend in recent sets to make burn hit only players or only creatures. Let's make burn great again!
I'm also having a hard time evaluating the Emerge creatures. They're all obviously way too expensive to hardcast, but I'm not convinced giving up a non-token creature for a bigger creature is something you're going to want to be doing often enough even with an ETB trigger. I'll reconsider after I get in a few rounds of EMN limited.
The lack of decent black cards notwithstanding, I think we got a lot of cool cards to work with. There are great support cards for spells matter, graveyard matters, green aggro, and improvements for mid-ranged red decks.
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.