MTG Salvation

Blade Instructor


Healer's Hawk
NO PIC YET

Radical Idea


Unexplained Disappearance


Deadly Visit


Moodmark Painter


Raging Sergeant


Direct Current





Hammer Dropper


Rosemane Centaur


Sonic Assault

thats kinda a lot of keywords for a nwo set.
Jump-start is a mix of Madness/Flashback. Cards seem overcosted for its first use, but are fairer on its cost when you recast them. If you can spare a card that is. Unless you run a madness/gy theme those cards seem not powerful enough/too slow. Radical Idea, would have been great for U, as is a worse version of Think Twice


Mentor is better than I thought first, since it grants counters, not just buff for a turn, but the way those are designed, theyre also too slow and fragile, even if you get a counter out of them.

Undergrowth is interesting, more gy related stuff is always welcome. The Painter seems already playable enough for my T2

Surveil is the better version of scry and I hope we will get some playable stuff out of it. I might consider Deadly Visit already for my T2, since I really got into a good mix for "premium" and slow removal with benefits.

Arboretum Elemental- 5GG Convoke Hexproof 7/5
Finally a beefy Hexproof Creature in G that makes ramping more attractive. And it works with token support. 100% include for T2

Here's a low res image of Healer's Hawk from reddit



Also, Arboretum Elemental is an uncommon



Overall, initial cards don't seem the most exciting. Some initial thoughts are

• Jump-start cards we've gotten so far seem overcosted for the effect or not very impactful.
• Mentor is seems like more of a win-more mechanic, at least on such fragile bodies. The creatures we've seen that have it so far aren't exciting.
• Moodmark Painter seems like a decent archetype support card if you support graveyard shenanigans in your cube. Will be excited to see what other support there is,
• Rosemane Centaur seems like an fine 5 drop. It's not the most exciting at first glance but seems like a fine sign post card if gw is swarm in your cube.

Edit: Formatting

I'm annoyed that Sonic Assault is almost passable. But tapping a creature for 3cc and 2 to its owner is not Jilt level.

It is worth noting that JumpStart works with Spell Matters/Prowess but often Flashback seems more efficent. However there were some good Red Madness spells. None that are worth the excessive mana. Obviously it is meant to dovetail with Undergrowth; which is cool

meh, i really hate that wotc refuses to give us good ramp/recursion targets at common

I would assume forming a Council/Commitee to vote on viable Pauper Downshifts is not in people's wheelhouse?
Because the few active members we have are divided on "What is Common?" already

well there are 4 definitons

-printed as real card and common on gatherer
-printed + online and common on gatherer
-printed on the common sheet but uncommon on gatherer
-mtgo legal common cards

i only include printed commons in my cube, because there are no physical copies available, but i dont question their common rarity status. therefore i also understand when someone sticks to one rarity model and only includes mtgo legal commons. (that person will probably never question physical commons)
the only weird definition of commons is the sheet one, because even when theyre theoretical being printed as those, nowhere have that rarity officialy. but nobody here runs those anyway?

i feel the most complicated thing about that question is, what era of commons we see as baseline. Like we could want to downgrade stuff that could have been common in the pestilence era, but its totally out of question today. When it commons to current standard powerlevel of commons, im probably not interested in any downshifts, because even fringe archetype cards are uncommon these days. For drafting reasons mostly, which is kinda sad, because it helps limited drafts, but weakens the draft format (pauper) cube.

So basically we could only discuss what cards are reasonable for modern masters sets.

I like all the mechanics, let's hope we have good actual cards.

Jump-Start specially could surprise us if the effects are at least average. Turning a land into a spell later in the game, or sending to the graveyard something you want there, can be very good. I think this could enable lots of diferent archetypes if done right.

Mentor is maybe the mechanic I have least hopes for, as they seem to put it in high power - low thoughness creatures, and in an enviroment with so efficient instant removal as pauper cube, those cards wont last long I'm afraid.

The Hawk is interesting as it gives redundancy to an aggro, equipment/aura based strategy.

Finally something more interesting


Pseudo prophetic bolt. I like it!


Nice slot for boros. Is not super powerfull, but adds redundancy for the aggro first strike pseudo archetype.


I like this too. Selesnya is super tight, but could make the cut anyway.

More!

It really irks me that Arboretum Elemental costs that much mana. Convoke usually only adds 1, maybe 2 to the cost, right? This looks like it costs at least 3 more than base.

Yes, it is. Would it have to be rare if it cost 5GG instead?

The point is, this is a commons-only thead.

The Elemental was first spoiled as 5GG and common. That its uc is already a setback, but that it actually costs 7GG and is still not a common is a joke. Id probably dont even run it anymore at 7GG.
Also for completion reasons.
Wary Okapi

Hypo the shizzle is a fine card, a potential 3 for 1.X depending on what you discard. But Izzet is powerful already, so im not sure it makes the cut. Izzet is not too much about value and this card also doesnt add anything the colors couldnt do better already.

Recruit, meh. It has the Soldier type which is always welcomed, but the power of 2/1 first striker is their flexibility being either defensive or offensive

Woodshaper almost feels uncommon. Selesnya is stuffed though, but this feels too strong to not get included somehow. It not just draws a card, but filters it and finds you enchantment based removal and auras, wow.

Whisper Agent is very much playable. I really like flash creatures for draw-go. No T1 card, but very much considered for ny T2. Hybrid cost also makes it easier to get cheated in either color and not taking a guild slot.

Informant idk. borderline. card is okay, but cc3 is too tight and 1/4s are not the best stats, so probably a pass. Id liked it more as a 2nd Omenspeaker.

Is it good, or a little too expensive?

It seems about one mana too expensive. It's sort of like a bigger version of Agony Warp that deals with bigger threats somewhat better but doesn't seem better in enough situations to make it worth two more mana. It's a nice combination of effects though.

Quote from Al_Z_Heimer »

This raises high hopes for me for the common Golgari multicolor card.

Totally. I'm in the same spot. The powerlevel so far is good.

New transguild promenade/rupture spire

I dont think the Hawk does anything better than Vault Skirge and while Lifelink is a nice bonus, the card still is just a Suntail Hawk

Woodshapers body indeed is pretty weak and the main reason not to run it. I dont agree with your Selesnya list though, because i think Evangel is very bad and I run Call of the Conclave over Travel as well.

Artful Takedown is overcosted by 1 and then I still wouldnt run it, maybe if it was -0-4 and -4-0

Plaza is good to have, the Spire lands are the best 5color fixer. Dont know whether I want to run 3 though. Being a gate is irrelevant by now, but could change.

Surveil 2, draw 2 cards. This deals 2 damage to you.

Read the Bones with a minor upside (surveil instead of scry), but multicolored. Not interested personally.

Artful Takedown just seems really overcosted next to Agony Warp.

it will not replace Consult the Necrosages in my T1 Dimir section, but I like the card very much. I feel like when we got the full picture, ill increase the multicolor section of my T2 and add this.

a locket cycle.

Im not a friend of 3 mana signets, no matter their advantages, but if you want to run them, those seem quite good.

Blue 2 is not as stacked as blue 3, and the activation cost on this is quite acceptable.

Autoinclude in my T2, i even run coralhelm guide there