There goes my vague notion about that artwork being for a Ravenous Baboons reprint.
Both decent cards. Mandrills is the first "yeah that's pretty fairly costed" KTK Delve card I remember seeing.
All the clan mechanics are sweet and simple, though with the exception of Delve, not awfully powerful at first glance. (I was right in thinking I'd end up becoming a Sultai fanboy. Turns out they feature the craziest mechanic and have Rakshasa. Consider me sold)
Apart from Icefeather's amazing artwork, what excites me far more is the fact that we get Morph. Overlay. Tokens! And they look sweet!
The Green player packed his stuff and stormed out of the store, cussing everyone at the table out.
The real kicker: The guy had a Wake of Destruction in hand when he resolved the Riddle.
So, am I missing something really integral here? How do those card combinations cause him to go "infinite"? At best he Recoups his Geyser twice and gets what I assume to be a bucket of mana, but where's the infinite part?
This is an interesting way to go about making new players more excited about the cards they just got. "You can't get these "normally"? Wow cool, better hang on to it..."
...Doesn't detract from the fact that I still really really really really really really hate the frame change. It only ever looks decent on Black cards, but that doesn't mean you can just play Mono-B from now on and be done with, because you still get treated to the lovely little holo stamps on all your rares. Euuuuuugh.
Shame not a single one of my three most-hoped-for reprints saw the light in the last set without the icky new frames...
But still!
Some super nice stuff in the set overall. Apart from the obviously killer reprints like Stifle and Deed, I was pleasantly surprised at some of the old under-the-radar multiplayer favorites like Respite and Mana Geyser.
The set's biggest strength though, is the artwork. All the new cards are gorgeous, and the fresh looks for Soulcatcher, Wind Dancer, Victimize and Nature's Claim are a feast for the eyes.
Only one thing to really complain about: (besides the wait for the spoiler)
The draft-mechanic artifact creatures of this set all look amazing. Each and every one. The best robot/construct/etc. artwork I've seen Magic do in forever, and it's thrown onto a whole bunch of creatures that have no place outside of a draft. Freaking criminal.
An entire week of frustration that could have been avoided, and all it took was two words.
Just exactly how difficult would it have been to post two. frigging. words. a couple of days sooner, MaRo?
Hell, I'm glad we finally have a set date for the full spoiler, but really? These fourteen liberating letters couldn't have reached us just a smidge earlier?
Although there's no other similar product to make a real comparison, I cannot think of any "bombs" kept aside for the whole visual spoiler in the last sets. Well, to be honest I remember only one: Boros Reckoner in Gatecrash, nothing more.
Since there are only 65 new cards and we already know many of them (49 maybe?), and at the same time we've able to know some very high profile reprints, I suspect there won't be much in the unknown half of the set. Maybe some utilities for Commander decks or low-cost beloved Legacy cards (I want Wild Mongrel damn! ), but I'll gladly welcome anything more than that. By the way, I've already ordered a box for 92€...
At this point, it's definitely gotten more about the reprints for me.
There's enough open spaces left in the spoiler that I can still hold hope for some really nice "finally-in-modern-frame" multiplayer staples, like Pestilence and Repercussion.
Especially considering it'll be my last chance to see them not have the just-too-off-puttingly-asymmetrical new M15 frames.
Hell yes. I'm loving the idea of cool new alt art in beginner-level products. The new players get some immediate sense that their first little pile of stuff is cooler and more distinct from the booster versions, and us old hat variance junkies get more stuff to chase.
Welp, gotta make room in my Scion deck now.
Defector is another EDH gem! Thanks WotC
Looks like my Godo deck will finally be infected with the horrible new card border, too.
This was exactly the kind of disturbingly powerful incentive I needed to actually start making a Sultai EDH deck.
But I still really hope it's real, because then my Sultai EDH "Spells and Self-Mill" concept just got an incredible finisher.
Both decent cards. Mandrills is the first "yeah that's pretty fairly costed" KTK Delve card I remember seeing.
Apart from Icefeather's amazing artwork, what excites me far more is the fact that we get Morph. Overlay. Tokens! And they look sweet!
Hopefully tokens are exempt from the new framing style
So, am I missing something really integral here? How do those card combinations cause him to go "infinite"? At best he Recoups his Geyser twice and gets what I assume to be a bucket of mana, but where's the infinite part?
...Doesn't detract from the fact that I still really really really really really really hate the frame change. It only ever looks decent on Black cards, but that doesn't mean you can just play Mono-B from now on and be done with, because you still get treated to the lovely little holo stamps on all your rares. Euuuuuugh.
Yes, I'm still crotchety and bitter about this.
But still!
Some super nice stuff in the set overall. Apart from the obviously killer reprints like Stifle and Deed, I was pleasantly surprised at some of the old under-the-radar multiplayer favorites like Respite and Mana Geyser.
Of the new stuff, Flamewright, Predator's Howl and Custodi Soulbinders are definitely worth keeping an eye on.
The set's biggest strength though, is the artwork. All the new cards are gorgeous, and the fresh looks for Soulcatcher, Wind Dancer, Victimize and Nature's Claim are a feast for the eyes.
Only one thing to really complain about: (besides the wait for the spoiler)
The draft-mechanic artifact creatures of this set all look amazing. Each and every one. The best robot/construct/etc. artwork I've seen Magic do in forever, and it's thrown onto a whole bunch of creatures that have no place outside of a draft. Freaking criminal.
Look at that.
An entire week of frustration that could have been avoided, and all it took was two words.
Just exactly how difficult would it have been to post two. frigging. words. a couple of days sooner, MaRo?
Hell, I'm glad we finally have a set date for the full spoiler, but really? These fourteen liberating letters couldn't have reached us just a smidge earlier?
Uuuuuugh.
At this point, it's definitely gotten more about the reprints for me.
There's enough open spaces left in the spoiler that I can still hold hope for some really nice "finally-in-modern-frame" multiplayer staples, like Pestilence and Repercussion.
Especially considering it'll be my last chance to see them not have the just-too-off-puttingly-asymmetrical new M15 frames.
Hell yes. I'm loving the idea of cool new alt art in beginner-level products. The new players get some immediate sense that their first little pile of stuff is cooler and more distinct from the booster versions, and us old hat variance junkies get more stuff to chase.
I approve.