Nearly any pile of 75 cards is capable of stringing together 5 non-swiss wins, and right now people are disproportionately trying out untuned brews with new cards against each other. Not that I ever put any stock in League results anyway, but now is extra irrelevant, other than just to see what people are trying.
Carrion Feeder + Gravecrawler + Bridge is one hell of an engine.
When you throw in Altar of Dementia, you can win through Ensnaring Bridge (and at instant speed) by turbo milling your opponent. I do not foresee this deck remaining legal for long. Bridge from Below is living on borrowed times with these new cards.
Both of these swords are objectively worse than at least 3 of the existing swords (Feast/Famine, Fire/Ice, Light/Shadow). They will never see play in Modern without Stoneforge. And probably wouldn't see play with her either, in favor of Batterskull, and one or two of the others listed above.
So we finally get Splice onto instant or sorcery Draw a card...for a splice cost of 2U and a regular mana cost at instant speed for 1U. Will Everdream see play? It has the same nigh-unstoppability as Splicer's Skill unless your hand gets shredded apart, but competing with Jace, the Mind Sculptor and Search for Azcanta is bound to get ugly.
Mirrodin Besieged is like a noncreature Sai, Master Thopterist, except the tokens don't fly and you can't sac artifacts to draw cards, but you can change your mind and make this a looting win con that wants you to hit 15+ artifacts in your graveyard. Does any deck want this?
Might Geomancer's Gambit see play as 3-mana mono-red Ghost Quarter-level LD that draws a card to compensate? As much as Fulminator Mage is a bro and Pillage has added versatility, I'd imagine that some decks value the card velocity quite a lot more, and then there's search hosing.
Everdream will not see play. It's overcost for constructed and I can promise you that was intentional because that effect in constructed would be way too good if it were playable.
Everdream might have seen play if the non-splice cost was U and the splice cost was UU. That's an incredibly fair rate to pay for "draw a card" with no other effects. Better yet, if that's too much, make the card a Sorcery, so the only way you could draw instant speed is for UU, in addition to the other spell.
Hmm, it is starting to look like Mono Blue could do cool stuff... maybe even Uw Monastery Mentor could finally be good. I actually did ok with it for a little bit recently.
I've been saying that ever since Force of Negation was spoiled. I have every intention of making some UW based Mentor deck. Right now, it's just a matter if I want to make it midrangey as Esper, controlly as UW, or burn-heavy as Jeskai. I've got everything I need, just waiting on the Forces to be in my hand.
I get the feeling they tried to push GY based strats in Horizons, because they know the GY gets hated out constantly anyway?
But that's the problem with lower and on-the-border power level stuff. Kess will get inadvertently hated out due to all the GY hate targeted at Dredge and Phoenix. It's the same reason why the Swords and other non-game-breaking artifacts don't see play: there's so much artifact hate around, that what you're doing with them needs to be totally busted to justify the risk of running into the crossfire.
Doesn't Kess hurt the Grixis decks? She allows your opponent to just play removal for her, no? Am I missing something here?
Not exactly sure what you mean. The effect is not symmetrical so that's no problem. And if you mean that, because you have a creature, it enables your opponent's removals, whereas otherwise they would be dead cards, that's only partially true. Considering that you can par her with discard, or you can have FoN up when you cast her.
You also don't necessarily have to cast her on curve (i.e. T4). Imho she actually works as a finisher snapcaster. She basically allows you to re-buy cards and, as a result, snapcasters (since you can reuse your K.Commands) much more efficiently than Tasigur which was often the finisher of choice.
In addition, she allows you to play your snapcasters more aggressively in the early game, because you will have a permanent effect later on.
Overall she seems great as a 2-of finisher!
I've played her as a Commander for quite a while, and eventually took the deck apart. She is good when games go late and spells can be cast and recast, but she has the problem of being succeptible to the multitude of GY hate floating around, while being considerably less powerful than the other things abusing the GY. I'll definitely try jamming her and making it happen, because I love her, but I'm not optimistic that she's going to make waves. There's not a shortage of powerful, 4-mana win-more cards.
The inclusion of the Swords makes me wonder if we may see the printing of a "fixed" Stoneforge Mystic that will work with the Swords but not Batterskull (e.g. a Stoneforge Mystic that only works with equipment that costs 3 or less).
Stoneforge doesn't need fixing. Nothing it does is remotely as powerful as all of the rest of Modern.
I'm still not entirely sure why I did this, as I don't think it's a very good card, but I snap grabbed these for a few bucks within minutes of the apoiler and they finally arrived... Time to go in the box/binder of shame? Lol.
Still very excited about Force, Charm, and Fact or Fiction, but iduno what I was thinking with Prohibit...
I know there was once some play with Kuldotha Rebirth in a Goblins 8Whack like list. Maybe you could look in that direction? Use Rebirth and Engineer to get use of some of the artifacts and start swinging with Swords into your opponent with a go wide strategy that can port into a Swords strategy?
EDIT: I also had what is probably a horrible trash thought... Could you go for Blue Moon style list with Goblin Engineer, Sword of Sinew and Steel, and Liquimetal Coating? The use Spell Pierce and similar to keep your hack and slash engineer safe? Start using Coating + Sword to blow up lands. Coating also provides artifacts to sac to get a Sword back, you can fill extra creature slots with Warboss and Rabblemaster looking things.
EDIT again: Use Goblin Matron as Engineer 5-8 if you need. She probably costs too much though.
Seems like a LOT of hoops to jump through and a lot of bad cards taking precious slots. I'm personally moving towards some kind of UWx Mentor build thanks to the new Force. Jeskai Phoenix with Mentor in the side is already pretty fun. Would be an easy transition to add Force and baby Teferi. Esper with discard, pushes, and Lilis also seems interesting, or maybe just UW midrange. Either way, a free protection spell is exactly what Mentor needed to be a good clock that can actually come down on 3.
Black/Red sword seems a lot better than Blue/White sword. If swords in general are ever good enough again (And that new goblin seems kind of specifically designed for them?), this is a great SB card.
Without Stoneforge, they will continue to be as unplayable as they've always been. Feast/Famine is absolutely nuts good, Light/Shadow is a great engine for creatures, Fire/Ice is an excellent value engine and clock.
And none of them see play.
These new ones will be great for Commander and Legacy. They will be ultimately meaningless in Modern.
+1/+1 and Proliferate seem incredibly underwhelming compared to pretty much all the others besides Body/Mind. A sword would have to be better than Feast/Famine and still wouldn't see play without Stoneforge. There's just no place for a 5 mana investment that is so easily disrupted in a format as brutality fast and efficient as Modern.
UR ....... WUBR ........... WB ............. RGW ........ UBR ....... WUB .... BGU
Spells / Blink & Combo / Token Grind / Dino Tribal / Draw Cards / Zombies / Reanimate
When you throw in Altar of Dementia, you can win through Ensnaring Bridge (and at instant speed) by turbo milling your opponent. I do not foresee this deck remaining legal for long. Bridge from Below is living on borrowed times with these new cards.
UR ....... WUBR ........... WB ............. RGW ........ UBR ....... WUB .... BGU
Spells / Blink & Combo / Token Grind / Dino Tribal / Draw Cards / Zombies / Reanimate
UR ....... WUBR ........... WB ............. RGW ........ UBR ....... WUB .... BGU
Spells / Blink & Combo / Token Grind / Dino Tribal / Draw Cards / Zombies / Reanimate
There was a noninclusion of a number of cards that made a number of us very sad.
UR ....... WUBR ........... WB ............. RGW ........ UBR ....... WUB .... BGU
Spells / Blink & Combo / Token Grind / Dino Tribal / Draw Cards / Zombies / Reanimate
UR ....... WUBR ........... WB ............. RGW ........ UBR ....... WUB .... BGU
Spells / Blink & Combo / Token Grind / Dino Tribal / Draw Cards / Zombies / Reanimate
UR ....... WUBR ........... WB ............. RGW ........ UBR ....... WUB .... BGU
Spells / Blink & Combo / Token Grind / Dino Tribal / Draw Cards / Zombies / Reanimate
But that's the problem with lower and on-the-border power level stuff. Kess will get inadvertently hated out due to all the GY hate targeted at Dredge and Phoenix. It's the same reason why the Swords and other non-game-breaking artifacts don't see play: there's so much artifact hate around, that what you're doing with them needs to be totally busted to justify the risk of running into the crossfire.
UR ....... WUBR ........... WB ............. RGW ........ UBR ....... WUB .... BGU
Spells / Blink & Combo / Token Grind / Dino Tribal / Draw Cards / Zombies / Reanimate
I've played her as a Commander for quite a while, and eventually took the deck apart. She is good when games go late and spells can be cast and recast, but she has the problem of being succeptible to the multitude of GY hate floating around, while being considerably less powerful than the other things abusing the GY. I'll definitely try jamming her and making it happen, because I love her, but I'm not optimistic that she's going to make waves. There's not a shortage of powerful, 4-mana win-more cards.
UR ....... WUBR ........... WB ............. RGW ........ UBR ....... WUB .... BGU
Spells / Blink & Combo / Token Grind / Dino Tribal / Draw Cards / Zombies / Reanimate
Stoneforge doesn't need fixing. Nothing it does is remotely as powerful as all of the rest of Modern.
UR ....... WUBR ........... WB ............. RGW ........ UBR ....... WUB .... BGU
Spells / Blink & Combo / Token Grind / Dino Tribal / Draw Cards / Zombies / Reanimate
Still very excited about Force, Charm, and Fact or Fiction, but iduno what I was thinking with Prohibit...
UR ....... WUBR ........... WB ............. RGW ........ UBR ....... WUB .... BGU
Spells / Blink & Combo / Token Grind / Dino Tribal / Draw Cards / Zombies / Reanimate
Seems like a LOT of hoops to jump through and a lot of bad cards taking precious slots. I'm personally moving towards some kind of UWx Mentor build thanks to the new Force. Jeskai Phoenix with Mentor in the side is already pretty fun. Would be an easy transition to add Force and baby Teferi. Esper with discard, pushes, and Lilis also seems interesting, or maybe just UW midrange. Either way, a free protection spell is exactly what Mentor needed to be a good clock that can actually come down on 3.
UR ....... WUBR ........... WB ............. RGW ........ UBR ....... WUB .... BGU
Spells / Blink & Combo / Token Grind / Dino Tribal / Draw Cards / Zombies / Reanimate
And none of them see play.
These new ones will be great for Commander and Legacy. They will be ultimately meaningless in Modern.
UR ....... WUBR ........... WB ............. RGW ........ UBR ....... WUB .... BGU
Spells / Blink & Combo / Token Grind / Dino Tribal / Draw Cards / Zombies / Reanimate
Yep. Goes straight from B to D. No room for Containment Priest.
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/magic-fundamentals/the-rumor-mill/810024-modern-horizons-name-and-number-crunch
They could just print some other new version that does something similar, but slightly worse (as they have done for other cards).
UR ....... WUBR ........... WB ............. RGW ........ UBR ....... WUB .... BGU
Spells / Blink & Combo / Token Grind / Dino Tribal / Draw Cards / Zombies / Reanimate
UR ....... WUBR ........... WB ............. RGW ........ UBR ....... WUB .... BGU
Spells / Blink & Combo / Token Grind / Dino Tribal / Draw Cards / Zombies / Reanimate
In a world of Walking Ballistas, hangerback walkers, and both blue and green X-based tutors, what could possibly go wrong!
UR ....... WUBR ........... WB ............. RGW ........ UBR ....... WUB .... BGU
Spells / Blink & Combo / Token Grind / Dino Tribal / Draw Cards / Zombies / Reanimate