From a sales perspective, Battle for Zendikar is extremely successful. We're only one store, but for us it's sold about 2.5x as much sealed product and 3x as many event entries as compared to Khans, and Khans sold really well. The outlier seems to be Game Day, where there were less entries than Khans by a big margin. The other events have more than made up for it though.
Deadly EncounterBG Instant
Target creature you control gets +1/+2 and gains deathtouch until end of turn. You may have it fight target creature you don’t control.
Next: Break Tradition
The Witching Hour
Thrashing Horde
In Vigilance It Hunts is trying to do too much. It feels like 2 or 3 cards' worth of effects in a single card. I also don't think all that text would fit comfortably into the text box.
The first ability feels arbitrary and confusing. For example, lets say that I have 2 more creatures than the opponent with the most creatures, including It Hunts, which is active. Now you kill one of my creatures. Is the Nephilim still a creature or not?
The second and final abilities both create unbreakable loops. If a player draws a card that's not the first draw that turn, then each other player will draw a card, which will trigger the ability again, which will trigger the ability again and again and again... the same thing happens with the life gain trigger.
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Maybe we'll see something like this in Oath to edge Khans cards out of standard a bit.
Kozilek's Punisher7 Creature - Eldrazi (M)
Kozilek’s Punisher can’t be countered.
Each spell costs 1 more to cast for each of its colors.
7/6
Nameless but Enduring is an interesting design; it very much feels like a build-around Commander. The stats do feel a little low, however. I feel like it could definitely stand to have higher toughness at the very least. The only other point I can see is that I feel as though it should round up the damage prevention. With the current wording, if you get hit by a 1-power creature, you'll still take the 1 damage. That feels a little odd and counter intuitive.
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Mardu Vanguard1W Creature - Human Warrior Raid — Mardu Vanguard costs 1 less to cast if you attacked with a creature this turn.
First Strike
2/1
Elvaadi, Blight Shaman3BG Legendary Creature - Elf Shaman
When you cast Elvaadi, Blight Shaman you may choose one, two or three. If you do, destroy each nonland permanent with that converted mana cost.
Elvaadi enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter for each nonland permanent put into a graveyard this turn.
3/3
Obstinance1RG Enchantment
Spells you control can’t be countered.
Whenever a creature you control becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, Obstinance deals 2 damage to that opponent.
Next: Courier of the Gods
Good Tidings
Mjolnir, Hammer of Thor
Obstinance1RG Enchantment
Spells you control can’t be countered.
Whenever a creature you control becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, Obstinance deals 2 damage to that opponent.
Next: Courier of the Gods
Good Tidings
Mjolnir, Hammer of Thor
Rampaging Strike feels a bit strange. The second clause is super-specific. The design seems a bit schizophrenic. The way to get a lot of damage out of this is to run a lot of red and green creatures yourself, but if you have enough creatures for the second clause to be relevant, odds are you're not going to want to play a board wipe. If you're playing creatures big enough to survive this, odds are you're not going to have a lot of them in play, so the extra damage feels almost like trinket text.
I also don't feel like this card is green in any way. If this is meant to be a color-hoser, I think there are probably more interesting effects for the second clause. If this is supposed to be a color-boon, I think giving the surviving creatures a bonus is a lot more workable. Something like "For each creature that is red and green you control dealt damage this way, that creature gains first strike and trample until end of turn."
Life costs G or 1 less to cast for each point of devotion you have for green.
Just FYI, reducing the cost by colored mana also applies to generic mana costs unless the card says otherwise (see Ragemonger and Edgewalker.) So the ability could just be "~ costs G less to cast for each point of green devotion." and it'd still work the same, though it'd probably need reminder text, which sort of makes it a wash.
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Memory QuellerU Creature - Eldrazi Drone (U)
Devoid
At the beginning of each player’s upkeep, that player exiles the top card of his or her library.
0/4
Labor of Cruelty is a clever design. In a vacuum, i like it a lot, but from a practical standpoint, I don't know that it makes a lot of sense in any deck. A control deck isn't going to have a bunch of creatures to conspire/convoke with and a creature-heavy black deck is likely going to be more interested in attacking than tapping their creatures. Still, it's very flexible and seems like it'd be a solid card in limited at the very least.
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Antonella, Blighted RoseUB Legendary Creature - Human Rogue
Deathtouch, Menace
Whenever Antonella, Blighted Rose deals combat damage to a player, tap target creature that player controls. It doesn’t untap during its controller’s next untap step.
2/2
Sheshuo being able to hit creatures might be a bit strong for limited. It'd probably need to be moved up to mythic for that reason. An alternate design might be to change it form an activated ability to a triggered ability. "Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, you may have ~ deal damage equal to its power to target creature or player." By changing it from an activated to a triggered ability, it keeps players from having to spend too much time on the various iterations of combat math. As a triggered ability, it's still very strong, but gives the opponent a bit more room to play around different spells based on your available mana.
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Melek Reformed1UR Legendary Creature - Weird Wizard
Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, put a +1/+1 counter on Melek Reformed.
Remove X +1/+1 counters from Melek Reformed: The next Instant or Sorcery spell you cast this turn costs X less to cast.
1/3
Morphic Fields is completely degenerate. This let's you fetch Omniscience, play Enter the Infinite and win on turn 1 without any way to stop it if you're on the play (on the draw you can stifle it).
Assuming you meant it to only search up land cards, it seems like a strange design. It's a land that can only search up nonbasic lands. It'd be far more elegant to just have it do that ("Search your library for a nonbasic land"); the fetches can already search up non-basics with basic types for a much smaller payment. Making it unable to search up any nonbasic land doesn't really change the design much. That said, getting a Sylvan Scrying that goes straight to the battlefield for 5 life is probably a little too good. There's tons of strong utility lands that this would make even stronger.
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Underworld NetworkBR Sorcery
Search your library for a nonland card and exile it. Until end of turn, you may play that card. Shuffle your library. You can find anything in a pinch, if you know the right people.
Nahiri, the Jailor feels like an incongruent design. From the big picture perspective, they've been trying hard to silo planeswalkers so that each one has it's own mechanical identity. This version of Nahiri steps on Tezzeret's toes a bit. Her other incarnation is very equipment-focused.
From the individual-card-in-a-vacuum perspective, the first ability seems a little weak. Needing to have 3 artifacts just to get a Flickerwisp effect seems like a lot of setup for not a lot of payoff, especially on a 5-mana walker. (At first I actually thought it was too good, but the I realized I misread it; thought it said exile at the beginning of the end step!). I think just having a detain effect ("Up to one target nonland permanent can't attack, block or have its abilities activated until your next turn") without the need for artifacts fits thematically while still not being too strong.
I think the second ability could stand to be a -3 instead of a -4. Getting 3 banishing lights over 3 turns for 5 mana isn't back breaking.
The ultimate is very underwhelming, however. Ultimates should all but win you the game; this one doesn't unless you already have a substantial board state. Nahini herself doesn't help develop your board state, so there's no guarantee that you will.
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Radha Rekindled2RG Legendary Creature - Elf Warrior
First Strike, Haste
As long as its your turn, mana doesn’t empty from your mana pool as steps and phases end.
Whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to a player, add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
3/2
I can confirm that here in the states Fat Packs for this set are less available than they have been in the past. We can only get half as many as we normally do on our opening order from Wizards Direct. Our other three distributors are also using allocations for the fat packs when they haven't in the past.
Instant
Target creature you control gets +1/+2 and gains deathtouch until end of turn. You may have it fight target creature you don’t control.
Next:
Break Tradition
The Witching Hour
Thrashing Horde
The first ability feels arbitrary and confusing. For example, lets say that I have 2 more creatures than the opponent with the most creatures, including It Hunts, which is active. Now you kill one of my creatures. Is the Nephilim still a creature or not?
The second and final abilities both create unbreakable loops. If a player draws a card that's not the first draw that turn, then each other player will draw a card, which will trigger the ability again, which will trigger the ability again and again and again... the same thing happens with the life gain trigger.
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Maybe we'll see something like this in Oath to edge Khans cards out of standard a bit.
Kozilek's Punisher 7
Creature - Eldrazi (M)
Kozilek’s Punisher can’t be countered.
Each spell costs 1 more to cast for each of its colors.
7/6
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Mardu Vanguard 1W
Creature - Human Warrior
Raid — Mardu Vanguard costs 1 less to cast if you attacked with a creature this turn.
First Strike
2/1
Legendary Creature - Elf Shaman
When you cast Elvaadi, Blight Shaman you may choose one, two or three. If you do, destroy each nonland permanent with that converted mana cost.
Elvaadi enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter for each nonland permanent put into a graveyard this turn.
3/3
Next: A 5-Color Defender-matters Commander.
Enchantment
Spells you control can’t be countered.
Whenever a creature you control becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, Obstinance deals 2 damage to that opponent.
Next:
Courier of the Gods
Good Tidings
Mjolnir, Hammer of Thor
Enchantment
Spells you control can’t be countered.
Whenever a creature you control becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, Obstinance deals 2 damage to that opponent.
Next:
Courier of the Gods
Good Tidings
Mjolnir, Hammer of Thor
I also don't feel like this card is green in any way. If this is meant to be a color-hoser, I think there are probably more interesting effects for the second clause. If this is supposed to be a color-boon, I think giving the surviving creatures a bonus is a lot more workable. Something like "For each creature that is red and green you control dealt damage this way, that creature gains first strike and trample until end of turn."
Just FYI, reducing the cost by colored mana also applies to generic mana costs unless the card says otherwise (see Ragemonger and Edgewalker.) So the ability could just be "~ costs G less to cast for each point of green devotion." and it'd still work the same, though it'd probably need reminder text, which sort of makes it a wash.
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Memory Queller U
Creature - Eldrazi Drone (U)
Devoid
At the beginning of each player’s upkeep, that player exiles the top card of his or her library.
0/4
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Antonella, Blighted Rose UB
Legendary Creature - Human Rogue
Deathtouch, Menace
Whenever Antonella, Blighted Rose deals combat damage to a player, tap target creature that player controls. It doesn’t untap during its controller’s next untap step.
2/2
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Melek Reformed 1UR
Legendary Creature - Weird Wizard
Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, put a +1/+1 counter on Melek Reformed.
Remove X +1/+1 counters from Melek Reformed: The next Instant or Sorcery spell you cast this turn costs X less to cast.
1/3
Assuming you meant it to only search up land cards, it seems like a strange design. It's a land that can only search up nonbasic lands. It'd be far more elegant to just have it do that ("Search your library for a nonbasic land"); the fetches can already search up non-basics with basic types for a much smaller payment. Making it unable to search up any nonbasic land doesn't really change the design much. That said, getting a Sylvan Scrying that goes straight to the battlefield for 5 life is probably a little too good. There's tons of strong utility lands that this would make even stronger.
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Underworld Network BR
Sorcery
Search your library for a nonland card and exile it. Until end of turn, you may play that card. Shuffle your library.
You can find anything in a pinch, if you know the right people.
From the individual-card-in-a-vacuum perspective, the first ability seems a little weak. Needing to have 3 artifacts just to get a Flickerwisp effect seems like a lot of setup for not a lot of payoff, especially on a 5-mana walker. (At first I actually thought it was too good, but the I realized I misread it; thought it said exile at the beginning of the end step!). I think just having a detain effect ("Up to one target nonland permanent can't attack, block or have its abilities activated until your next turn") without the need for artifacts fits thematically while still not being too strong.
I think the second ability could stand to be a -3 instead of a -4. Getting 3 banishing lights over 3 turns for 5 mana isn't back breaking.
The ultimate is very underwhelming, however. Ultimates should all but win you the game; this one doesn't unless you already have a substantial board state. Nahini herself doesn't help develop your board state, so there's no guarantee that you will.
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Radha Rekindled 2RG
Legendary Creature - Elf Warrior
First Strike, Haste
As long as its your turn, mana doesn’t empty from your mana pool as steps and phases end.
Whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to a player, add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
3/2