MTG Salvation

Saddle up for some new card previews!

A couple of cards look interesting:

Slickshot Lockpicker: Peasant Snapcaster Mage. I really like this card and have been wanting more graveyard interaction in blue.

Lavaspur Boots: Cheap haste enabler with a lot of versatility. A good addition to the equipment package.

If Holy Cow is worse than Inspiring Overseer, it is not worse enough to not also Cube. They stuck a lot of little upsides on here to compensate for the downgrade from draw 1 to scry 1.

Honest Rutstein is a fantastic little value creature with a cool cost reduction ability.

Lavaspur Boots looks like a pretty good piece of equipment for its cheap cost and cheap equip cost. Interesting comparison to Bonesplitter.

This set has such an awesome f'n theme. I love it.

Slickshot Lockpicker, awesone card. 3 mana to play it and then cast another spell from the grave could be hard, but the addition of plot to cast it for free in a later turn makes the card really good. Also good stats.

Lavaspur Boots, this could be a good alternative to Lightning Greaves / Swiftfoot Boots if you don't like Shroud/Hexproof.

Form a Posse. Is this our first spell that creates X creatures? This is not Forth Eorlingas but I like it, even though Heroic Reinforcements still has a really strong position in Peasant, IMO.

Besides the cards already mentioned, I kind of like Crafty Coyote which can come in play as a 3/3 with haste for one turn or just a 2/2 with haste that supports other things. Plot actually works really well in setting you up for a bigger play next turn and giving that creature haste as well. Plus, all the 'cast two spells in one turn' cards and such.

However, unlike leadfeather, I really effing loathe the theme of the set. Or more precisely, I think that a Wild West -inspired world could have been really cool. However, this is not only that. This is a huge crossover 'only the best can manage it' heist genre bit as well.

I already hated the murder mystery theme of Karlov Manor and this seems to imply that they they intend to keep doing essentially genre parodies instead of actual storylines (outside maybe the new incarnation of Jace). It turns MtG sets into theme parks with all the familiar faces up to their hijinks in a given superficially themed world.

Isn't Crafty Coyote mistranslated?
It says: "When Crafty Coyote enters the battlefield, another target creature you control gets +1/+1 and gains haste until end of turn." according to most sources now.

Servant of the Stinger seems pretty good, I think. Good at cluttering the board early on, and can cash it in later. It is likely that the turn it can go through is also a turn in which you cast removal.

Quote from Mat »

Form a Posse. Is this our first spell that creates X creatures? This is not Forth Eorlingas but I like it, even though Heroic Reinforcements still has a really strong position in Peasant, IMO.

I actually use Firecat Blitz in my cube personally. An X creature spell all the way from Judgement. Sure, the creatures don't stick around more than a turn, but they all have haste and it can be flashed back later (albeit a bit costly). But yeah, this will be interesting to see if I like Blitz or Posse better.

Been lurking here for more than a decade, but I had to make an account just to defend one of my pet cards in my cube.

Spinewoods Armadillo seems like an interesting option for the "large green creature that puts itself into the yard" slot that Krosan Tusker or Greater Tanuki fills/filled. Gets into the yard cheaply enough fat 2 mana for the combo-style reanimator decks, and seems like it would play fine in the more value driven GB yard decks. It doesn't have evasion, but Ward 3 should allow it to stick around for a little while in most games. Could be worth testing.

Ruthless Lawbringer might not be exciting enough to make it into my Orzhov section, but it's a vindicate on legs that fits nicely into the WB attrition plan. Plays well with blink effects too.

EDIT: just saw Aloe Alchemist. Is this the green Rimrock Knight? It's a 3 powered 2-drop if you play it on curve, and can be a pump spell later (plus a free body on a following turn). Obviously, you can't get both the spell and the body on the same turn like Rimrock, but the body is free if you plot. This might be grounds to remove Kraul Harpooner. The undergrowth text has always been clunky and rarely comes up in games.

EDIT: You can only plot as a sorcery. My bad.

Pretty excited about Possum Nomad.

A creature that attacks as a 4/5 and can bounce multiple creatures back to your hand is amazing.

Forsaken Miner was just spoiled, and it seems really really good I think. I also like Possum Nomad.

Yea, its seems like this is going to be one of those sets I add 6+ cards from. Very good so far.

Requisition Raid also seems fairly flexible. Sorcery speed is a bit of a bummer, though.

Even at sorcery speed, Requisition Raid seems very, very good. Basri's Solidarity is run in ~36% of the decks from the 2023 Avg peasant list and this is definite upgrade. I believe this is also the first time white has received a 2 for 1 artifact/enchantment removal spell for < 4 mana.

There are a few cards I am still thinking about, so I was hoping for some feedback.

Emergent Haunting - This feels like a decent way to spend your turn 2 if you have some instant speed interaction on turn 3. Has a built-in mana sink too. Feels way too slow as a topdeck.

Lively Dirge - Has the interesting mode of playing 4B to get any 4-drop out of your deck onto the battlefield. Maybe sometimes you will find good value otherwise too.

Reckless Lackey - Not sure how long the creature will be relevant. First strike could be the key to staying relevant. It is nice to cash out for a card plus treasure, but I think that is a pretty neutral exchange.

Dance of the Tumbleweeds - Has the thing where it is a cheaper version of Beanstalk Giant with a much worse ramp ability.

Form a Posse - Feels worse than every single mode of Imodane’s Recruiter, which has been an excellent card.

Abraded Bluffs - Are there any color combinations that want a damaging ETBT land with no long-term value? I was starting with Boros and maybe all the Mardu pairs.

Emergent Haunting - May just be too much work. I love the idea of it, but I cant imagine taking esentially two turns off on turn 2 or 3 to watch it be bounced or killed. It may be a much better card to play on turn 6 or 7, but I wouldnt want them to know its comming.

Lively Durge - I want this to be good, and I will consider it because it could lead to some sweet combos.

Reckless Lackey - Meh?

Dance of the Tumbleweeds - Both choices seem below power level for their cost, I wont play this one.

Form a Posse - Pass for me, too slow.

Voracious Varmint would have been amazing a year and a half ago. Still good, but it has to compete for space against Cankerbloom, and the vigilance doesn't really beat out extra power and proliferate.

I agree, the Varmint is outclassed by both Cankerbloom and Outland Liberator for those that play it.

I really like Prairie Dog, though it may be a bit clunky. In some Azorius decks it is feasible to keep mana open t3 for a counterspell or something like Midnight Haunting, or one of the myriad flashy guys I play Cathar Commando and Faerie Vandal come to mind.

I also think the new Azorius card Wrangler of the Damned is interesting. a 2/2 flyer each turn is not bad, and I think it is a fine control finisher.

Nurturing Pixie seems pretty good, even if it cannot be looped like Kor Skyfisher. Fits in with blink and flyer archetypes.

Cactusfolk Sureshot seems like a reasonable signpost for R/G big stuff.

Ferocification is also good I think. Works well with cards like Sunhome Stalwart, and haste and menace is good.

Nurturing Pixie I agree seems good, but I'm not sure the non-bounce mode is worth it. There's plenty of 1 drops you can bounce, though, making this for an attractive turn 2 2/2 flyer. turn 1 Frantic Scapegoat into turn 2 Faerie recast the goat seems solid. Recently we've been getting more value 1-drops like Rubblebelt Maverick and Spyglass Siren. Now to find a cut...

Cards I'm considering so far:

So far I'm a big fan of the flexibility of the Spree cards that have been spoiled.

• Requisition raid - Basri's Solidarity didn't make it into my small cube for being slightly too narrow. So this feels like a slam dunk especially with Boros, Izzet and Rakdos becoming increasingly artifact heavy in my cube.
• Lively dirge - Seems fun. I don't run any of the very cheap reanimator effects, so this feels worth testing out. Even though it feels a bit slow compared to Call of the Death-Dweller, it hopefully makes up for it in flexibility.
• Trash the town - The top of this feels relevant for the Selesnya +1/+1 counters archetype, the middle is nice when you need it, while the bottom ability seems great in the evasion heavy Simic tempo decks!

• Honest Rutstein - Seems like a nice value creature in Golgari and synergizes with Insidious Roots. But I don't know if I want to cut Rise of the Witch-King to make room for it. Thoughts?
• Holy cow - I think flash is a nice way to spice up an Inspiring Overseer variant

Nezumi Linkbreaker one card two bodies in black I really want this type of card for my sacrifice-based decks.

I am going to think hard about these spree cards because in general, I like their versatility.
I agree with vertigo both those cards seem good to me.

Plot bugs me a bit as an inelegant mechanic, I often just ignore cards because I don't like the mechanic on them but I recently accepted adventure and its not very different to that.

I'll leave this review for White if you want to check it out.
Also, I invite anyone to continue the review in another color.

White:

Armored Armadillo – Not that impressive. Hold Equipment very well due to its Ward 1 and ability. But a 0/4 with a mediocre mana sink is not what I’m looking for in aggressive decks. It can serve as a roadblack in the early game for a control deck, but I much prefer a Wall of Omens for that. 2/10.

Bridled Bighorn – This guy is a 3/4 Vigilance with upside that might be good in go wide decks. But having to Saddle this to be happy about it is pretty bad. I much prefer playing a Renegade Freighter than this card. 1/10.

Eriette’s Lullaby – The 2 life stapled on to the removal is nice. But this competes with much stronger cards, and lacks the flexibility to be good in aggressive decks. The Sorcery speed hurts this a lot as well. It simply has much better options in white removal slots. 2/10.

Holy Cow - Inspiring Overseer is naturally the card you are comparing to this, although not as powerful as the Angel, the Cow does really have relevant lines of text. I’d say this could be played in Cubes that want to test it and have an open slot. 5/10.

Inventive Wingsmith – A 2/4 for 3 that needs two turn cycles to attack as a flyier. No thanks. 1/10.

Mystical Tether – There are plenty of better options for Banishing Light effects. This has the upside of being able to be cast as an instant to disrupt your opponents. It simply has better competition, with Touch the Spirit Realm, Cast Out, Banishing Light as a catch all. 4/10.

Steer Clear – There’s much better options than this in white. This suffers from the same things as Eriette’s Lullaby, its not good in the aggressive decks and has niche upside that will never happen. 1/10.

Sterling Keykeeper – Solid for limited maybe, but not for cube. Tappers in white cost 1 less and their ability costs 1 less. The 2 MV slot in white is simply to overcrowded for an effect like this. 2/10.

Trained Arynx – I’d bet this card plays much better than it looks. A 3/1 first strike attacking on T3 and getting a scry from it sounds pretty good. On the other hand, this is just too fragile. If this had Saddle 1, it would be much better. 3/10.

Vengful Townsfolk – I guess white will just get 3/3s for 3 with upside now. Reminded very much about Unruly Mob, not a card that I’m particularly excited to play. 3/10.

Wanted Griffin – This creature simply doesn’t cut it. 3/2 for 4 mana that leaves a body is something that I want on ETBs, not on die triggers. If Oltec Cloud Guard doesn’t cut it, neither does this. 2/10.

Bounding Felidar – A 6 drop that needs to attack to be good, that also needs you to have other creatures to saddle it and with mediocre stats? No thank you. Compare this to Sentinel of the Eternal Watch. 1/10.

Bovine Intervention – Or as some are calling it, Swords to Cowshares looks good, but plays bad. It is the same as withStroke of Midnight, Generous Gift and Beast Within, leaving a body behind after destroying is not that good, especially if you are on the backfoot. I’d say it can be playable if you are depowering removal, but it doesn’t cut it for me. This effect for 2 mana is pretty strong, though, so I’m debating on what grade to give it. Maybe 4/10.

Frontier Seeker – A 2/1 that draws a Plains ain’t that bad. Of course, not always are you going to hit a Plains with this, so I wouldn’t get my hopes up. I prefer much reliable options like Spirited Companion, Wall of Omens, Ambitious Farmhand, or Raffine’s Informant in this slot. 3/10.

Getaway Glamer – This is the first Spree card, and they all seem pretty interesting and hard to evaluate. Although most of them have an inefficient cost, they are flexible options for those kind of slots. That said, this card doesn’t do anything particularly well. Ephemerate is a monster of a card and costs only 1 mana, and the conditional removal is not that good. This compares well with Settle Beyond Reality as they are really similar. Because of its flexibility, I’ll give it a 3/10.

Lassoed by the Law – If you are playing Palace Jailer, this card falls short. Also, Banisher Priest and Fairgrounds Warden might be better overall. This does have the potential to exile noncreature permanents and that might be a point in its favor. I’d say this card is solid and might impress in its limited format. 4/10.

Nurturing Pixie – If your Cube has a Flyers theme and a Blink theme, this looks good for both archetypes. The problem with this is that is pretty mediocre in both its uses. I’m not happy for a 1/1 Flyer, and for self bouncing I’d much prefer a Kor Skyfisher, Rescuer Chwinga or another of those variants. 3/10.

Omenport Vigilante – This looks difficult to trigger and with not that good of a reward for doing so. Looks pretty bad, honestly. 1/10.

Prairie Dog – I’d just go ahead and ignore the last ability, because I don’t see a world where that would be relevant. I’m simply struggling to see this as more than a Mesa Unicorn to be honest. Yeah, maybe it’ll grow sometimes, but I don’t want to be holding mana when I’m playing 2 mana 2/2 lifelinkers in white. Looks good, but plays bad. 2/10.

Prosperity Tycoon – That is indeed a bunch of stats and text for 4 mana. 5/3 in stats that leaves 2 bodies is nothing to scoff at. The indestructibility might be stronger than it appears if your Cube has many tokens flying around. I could see people testing this. My problem with it is that it doesn’t excite me. 5/10.

Requisition Raid – This is the white card that I’m most excited about. I was already at the verge of adding Basr’s Solidarity. Adding conditional removal for artifacts or enchantments is a great bonus. I think this is an instant addition to my Cube. Very solid uncommon. 7/10.

Rustler Rampage – These two effects stapled together seem more for a surprise block than anything else, and I’m not that interested in doing that. Having the option to use this as a combat trick or get in for double strike damage is not that bad, but is very conditional even then. Again, Spree spells can always be good due to their flexibility, but these two effects are very narrow. 3/10.

Shepherd of the Clouds – People tend to Cube Custodi Squire, and this is not that different from that. You are trading the 3 MV condition for an extra point of damage and Vigilance. I mean, I could see this being good in the right decks or situations. Not bad. 6/10.

Sheriff of the Safe Passage – Not really excited for a vanilla creature that is a win-more. Playing it for its Plot cost isn’t something that excites me either. I feel this card is just bad, tough it could have a home in go wide decks, maybe?. 2/10.

Thunder Lasso – We already have Greatsword of Tyr for a much better cost and with much better late game effect. This is not bad, but having two equipment that have pretty much similar effects doesn’t excite me that much. Also, +1/+1 counter synergies are better with Greatsword. 3/10.

I like Spinewoods Paladin. It's an easier to cast Arborback Stomper, but gaining only 3 lifes, not 5. That could be an important difference to survive against aggro when you try to stabilize casting it. The plot ability I think it's additive distraction, but who knows, maybe on turn 3 or 4 you don't have the fifth land or the mana dork you need to play it and plot could do the job there for your next turn.

Just went through the card image gallery, though I guess the main set is complete but the precons are not.

Requisition Raid - I know this is more flexible than Basri's Solidarity, and I probably will swap it, but I kinda like how simple and clean Solidarity is compared to this - just "Put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control." No complications, no mana calculations.

Rambling Possum - Decent body when saddled and gives opportunities to re-trigger ETBs.

Lavaspur Boots - Haste is the most relevant part, but it's a nice cheap package with pump and minor protection.

Honest Rutstein - Part EWit, part ramp. Considering swapping out Baloth Null to reduce mana curve.

Cactusfolk Sureshot - Not sure if it will make the cut, but it looked interesting. My Gruul section has never been as good as other guilds at developing a real identity.