Edit: as far as interesting cards...
Impassioned orator gives another soul warden effect if you need more of those (and may replace ajani's enchantment in some decks)
Justiciar's portal is a cheap flicker that doubles as a combat trick (nice for EDH)
Clear the mind may actually see play in some fringe standard decks (including an archetype I actually use)
Catacomb crocodile has amazing flavor text.
Vindictive vampire is the last component that mardu aristocrats really needed from this set
Goblin Gathering may have some niche applications... worth experimenting with
Open the Gates is pretty great. Glad to see that wizards will give us an improved Lay of the Land even if they think that rampant growth is too strong.
Applied biomancy looks relatively efficient in the right deck.
Lawmage's binding is decent (arrest with flash is nice)
...oh, and it looks like mill might be a real archetype in limited (the advisor is helped out by a wall, a counterspell, and an equipment card)
When Basilica Bell-Haunt was spoiled I said its strength in limited would be dictated by the presence of absence of a common Cloudhift style effect.
Well, Justiicar's Portal is that. Blinking your tapped bellhaunt when your opponent is attacking... is a lot of value. You get back an untapped and first strike bellhaunt as a surprise blocker, and gain 3 life and your opponent discards a card.
BUT DAMMIT NO GREEN ONE DROP THAT CAN ATTACK WITH POWER.
I hated Amonkhet when its only green 1-drop creature was an 0/3, and they did that again. Man I just love Wall of Wood. Green is the color of creatures and winning via creature combat! In EVERY SINGLE SET there should be a threat Green can put on the field on the first turn.
This thread is full of idiots... Lightning Bolt is NOT being reprinted.
Many times has a writer in Wizards said so, because of the plain and simple fact that it's too powerful for what it costs. x/3 creatures shouldn't be able to die at instant speed for one mana without a signifigant drawback. (like PTE giving you a land)
I absolutely guarantee that LB will not be printed in M10, and you can quote me on that.
Surprisingly high amount of Golgari flavored cards.
No Azorius spirits. Coral Commando - damn 3/2 for 2U is cool for common.
Flanking in black!
Ferocity in black, red and green! I guess why... Goblin Gathering - aw yiss, Accumulated Knowledge-like. Just make it a mechainc already, WoTC! Sagittars' Volley - I hope to open this or some mass damage spell against Orzhov because they scare me the most.
Justiciar’s Portal – Pretty cool design. Wait until they attack, blink your guy, retrigger some ETB effect, kill one of their attackers thanks to first strike
Flames of the Raze-Boar – Pretty much a one-sided wrath against weenie decks for midrange. A bit expensive, but instant speed is nice.
Goblin Gathering – How long has it been since we’ve seen an Accumulated Knowledge-type of effect? The rate on this doesn’t seem to be the worst. I don’t remember – did Hordeling Outburst see play? If it did, this may have a chance as well.
Open the Gates – A Lay of the Land with upside, similar to Attune with Aether. Don’t know if the ability to tutor for a tapped dual is good enough for this to warrant inclusion in any Standard deck.
Stony Strength – In the thread for Incubation Druid, I read a comment about Burst of Strength. This is missing the instant speed, but it still combos very well (5 mana on turn 3, 7 on turn 4).
Applied Biomancy – Quite the powerful combat trick. Could lead to some Limited blowouts, maybe even applicable in Constructed?
Final Payment – Not quite a Doom Blade, but it offers a lot of different options for the additional payment. 5 life is a lot, but if you can consistently keep a saccable creature or enchantment around, this isn’t the worst.
Justiciar’s Portal – Pretty cool design. Wait until they attack, blink your guy, retrigger some ETB effect, kill one of their attackers thanks to first strike
Flames of the Raze-Boar – Pretty much a one-sided wrath against weenie decks for midrange. A bit expensive, but instant speed is nice.
Goblin Gathering – How long has it been since we’ve seen an Accumulated Knowledge-type of effect? The rate on this doesn’t seem to be the worst. I don’t remember – did Hordeling Outburst see play? If it did, this may have a chance as well.
Open the Gates – A Lay of the Land with upside, similar to Attune with Aether. Don’t know if the ability to tutor for a tapped dual is good enough for this to warrant inclusion in any Standard deck.
Applied Biomancy – Quite the powerful combat trick. Could lead to some Limited blowouts, maybe even applicable in Constructed?
Final Payment – Not quite a Doom Blade, but it offers a lot of different options for the additional payment. 5 life is a lot, but if you can consistently keep a saccable creature or enchantment around, this isn’t the worst.
Druid with stony strength can give you 7 mana turn 3!! (If you make each land drop)
Don't get it wrong, Dagger Caster doesn't cast any instants or soriceries. Goblin Chainwhirler's younger brother but nothing more.
Also, last time Accumulated Knowledge effects were seen in Shadowns over Innistrad, 2016.
Stony Strength – In the thread for Incubation Druid, I read a comment about Burst of Strength. This is missing the instant speed, but it still combos very well (5 mana on turn 3, 7 on turn 4).
I made that comment.
This isn't missing instant speed at all. It's an instant. The only (and usually-irrelevant) difference between Stony and Burst is that Stony can only target creatures you control. So it can't be used to pop opposing illusions and can't be redirected from your creature to an opponents, and can't be used for multiplayer shenanigans. Corner cases.
With Goblin Motivator, this even makes it possible to tap Incubator for 3 on T2!
I like Final Payment's flexibility. Being an instant that lets you sac a creature or enchantment or pay 5 life is a big upgrade over Bone Splinters for one white mana.
I'm immediately noticing strong mechanical themes in the shard colors, much more pointedly than in Guilds of Ravnica. This points towards shard colors being a theme in the next set.
Of the new cards spoiled, Final Payment is likely the one I am most excited for (as odd as it seems). I enjoy Instant timing Sac Outlets for EDH so this will almost certainly slot into Karador and Teysa. I know we just got Crush Contraband, but I like that we got Expose to Daylight in this set since it shows a return to white getting Enchantment and Artifact destruction instead of just Enchantment.
Pretty disappointed in Afterlife. The only real Aristocrat card is in Rakdos (Judith), and there are few "go wide" payoffs, the best one being in red. I think Orzhov is going to be the worse color pair in the set for limited, with the rest being pretty close.
Again, numerous arts with Shrieking Grotesque in them, but still cant get it back in Standard. That crafty gargoyle helped me top 4 regionals back in the day. I NEED it back! Love Footlight Fiend, btw. Also, for Rakdos, the Showstopper, there are not many demons, devils, or imps, at all. At least let me try to break the janky thing.
I really like Clear the Mind! I don't think we have seen this at common before. Seems playable in long grindy games; in some sort of pauper control deck? Turbo Fog?
Seb, Philip Burburan, Nills Ham, Chris Rahn, Volkan Baga, Mark Zug and even Carl Critchlow. Man, i love that they're trying to diversify art again. Keep it up wizards!
This set looks great overall.
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“I once had an entire race killed just to listen to the rattling of their dried bones as I waded through them.” —Volrath
You're right, of the 43 cards in Oracle that have all of the words "target", "player", "shuffles", "graveyard", and "library", all are uncommon or higher.
Feldon's Cane was a common in Chronicles, but it could only shuffle your own and not your opponent's, and of course Chronicles isn't MTGO so it isn't legal by the eligibility rules people tend to follow for pauper despite that not making sense for paper players.
Just visited the card gallery and it looks like everything is up
here you go
Edit: as far as interesting cards...
Impassioned orator gives another soul warden effect if you need more of those (and may replace ajani's enchantment in some decks)
Justiciar's portal is a cheap flicker that doubles as a combat trick (nice for EDH)
Clear the mind may actually see play in some fringe standard decks (including an archetype I actually use)
Catacomb crocodile has amazing flavor text.
Vindictive vampire is the last component that mardu aristocrats really needed from this set
Goblin Gathering may have some niche applications... worth experimenting with
Open the Gates is pretty great. Glad to see that wizards will give us an improved Lay of the Land even if they think that rampant growth is too strong.
Applied biomancy looks relatively efficient in the right deck.
Lawmage's binding is decent (arrest with flash is nice)
...oh, and it looks like mill might be a real archetype in limited (the advisor is helped out by a wall, a counterspell, and an equipment card)
When Basilica Bell-Haunt was spoiled I said its strength in limited would be dictated by the presence of absence of a common Cloudhift style effect.
Well, Justiicar's Portal is that. Blinking your tapped bellhaunt when your opponent is attacking... is a lot of value. You get back an untapped and first strike bellhaunt as a surprise blocker, and gain 3 life and your opponent discards a card.
BUT DAMMIT NO GREEN ONE DROP THAT CAN ATTACK WITH POWER.
I hated Amonkhet when its only green 1-drop creature was an 0/3, and they did that again. Man I just love Wall of Wood. Green is the color of creatures and winning via creature combat! In EVERY SINGLE SET there should be a threat Green can put on the field on the first turn.
“Homo homini lupus est.”
No Azorius spirits.
Coral Commando - damn 3/2 for 2U is cool for common.
Flanking in black!
Ferocity in black, red and green! I guess why...
Goblin Gathering - aw yiss, Accumulated Knowledge-like. Just make it a mechainc already, WoTC!
Sagittars' Volley - I hope to open this or some mass damage spell against Orzhov because they scare me the most.
Justiciar’s Portal – Pretty cool design. Wait until they attack, blink your guy, retrigger some ETB effect, kill one of their attackers thanks to first strike
Sage’s Row Savant – An Omenspeaker with more power than toughness. Could see some play in Constructed?
Bloodmist Infiltrator – Another once-a-turn aristocrats type effect. Probably not good enough outside of Limited though.
Dagger Caster – Pestilent Spirits best friend in this set.Flames of the Raze-Boar – Pretty much a one-sided wrath against weenie decks for midrange. A bit expensive, but instant speed is nice.
Goblin Gathering – How long has it been since we’ve seen an Accumulated Knowledge-type of effect? The rate on this doesn’t seem to be the worst. I don’t remember – did Hordeling Outburst see play? If it did, this may have a chance as well.
Open the Gates – A Lay of the Land with upside, similar to Attune with Aether. Don’t know if the ability to tutor for a tapped dual is good enough for this to warrant inclusion in any Standard deck.
Stony Strength – In the thread for Incubation Druid, I read a comment about Burst of Strength. This
is missing the instant speed, but it stillcombos very well (5 mana on turn 3, 7 on turn 4).Applied Biomancy – Quite the powerful combat trick. Could lead to some Limited blowouts, maybe even applicable in Constructed?
Final Payment – Not quite a Doom Blade, but it offers a lot of different options for the additional payment. 5 life is a lot, but if you can consistently keep a saccable creature or enchantment around, this isn’t the worst.
Druid with stony strength can give you 7 mana turn 3!! (If you make each land drop)
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Don't get it wrong, Dagger Caster doesn't cast any instants or soriceries. Goblin Chainwhirler's younger brother but nothing more.
Also, last time Accumulated Knowledge effects were seen in Shadowns over Innistrad, 2016.
I made that comment.
This isn't missing instant speed at all. It's an instant. The only (and usually-irrelevant) difference between Stony and Burst is that Stony can only target creatures you control. So it can't be used to pop opposing illusions and can't be redirected from your creature to an opponents, and can't be used for multiplayer shenanigans. Corner cases.
With Goblin Motivator, this even makes it possible to tap Incubator for 3 on T2!
I like Final Payment's flexibility. Being an instant that lets you sac a creature or enchantment or pay 5 life is a big upgrade over Bone Splinters for one white mana.
'buster
HR Analyst. Gamer. Activist | Fearless, and forthright | Aggro-control is a mindset.
Elspeth and Jhoira rock my world.
Oh geez, look at Debtor's Transport. The Orzhov thrulls keep getting more and more gross looking.
Vindictive Vampire is, like, the fifth Blood Artist effect I can run in Muldrotha. Not sure I need that many.
The guy on Scorchmark really doesn't have any room to talk.
The flavor text on Azorius Knight-Arbiter referencing Writ of Passage tickles me.
Final Payment seems like it could be legit removal. And the flavor text is 2real4me.
Interesting that there's a handful of "ferocious" cards in Jund colors.
But seriously, how many 1-drop haste goblins do we have in standard now? 3?
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This set looks great overall.
“I once had an entire race killed just to listen to the rattling of their dried bones as I waded through them.”
—Volrath
Feldon's Cane was a common in Chronicles, but it could only shuffle your own and not your opponent's, and of course Chronicles isn't MTGO so it isn't legal by the eligibility rules people tend to follow for pauper despite that not making sense for paper players.
Spear Spewer is the Spectacle enabler that we needed.
Ill-Gotten Inheritance looks like an awesome control card but also an interesting Spectacle enabler.
Final Payment is surprisingly powerful for a common instant.
'buster
HR Analyst. Gamer. Activist | Fearless, and forthright | Aggro-control is a mindset.
Elspeth and Jhoira rock my world.