Wow. There are a lot of horrible cards on some of these lists. Here's a list that doesn't s%ck. INPO.
Damnation - No explanation needed. Best card in the set.
Extirpate - Very, very solid card. Watch out Ichorid and Life from the Loam players. This baby will be extended legal this season.
Porphyry Nodes - I remember a laughing fit I had a couple months ago with another long time MTG friend at the thought of Wizards bringing Drop of Honey back. I also remember the pair of underwear I had to throw away when I saw this atrocity on the spoiler. What are they thinking? I don't think people understand how powerful this card is. Just wait...
Mire Boa - HAHAHAHA! Whatever. Bring back the second best green 2 drop creature of all time. Right. I remember playing mono U control waaaay back in the day only to loose to first turn (Elvish Spirit Guide) or second turn River Boa. What can you do? I know! Throw all the Powder Kegs and Nevinyyril's Disks in you hand across the frickin room. This card is really good. Put a Moldervine Cloak on this guy and sit back and win.
Simian Spirit Guide - Ahhh Elvish Spirit Guide. The bane of my once control-only playing existence. 10 years ago I remember laughing hysterically at rubbish like first turn Taiga, Kird Ape, ESG, Ghazban Ogre. Next turn, attack for 4. Pretty good, huh? It would have been better if I had Force of Will but that's not the point. Here's a glimpse of what I've been messing around with in Standard after the printing of this thing.
Turn 1: Play Sacred Foundry untapped
Remove Simian Spirit Guide from the Game to add R
Play Boros Swiftblade
Turn 2: Play Dust Corona on Boros Swiftblade
Play Brute Force on Boros Swiftblade
Attack for 12
Granted, this is a sick hand. Granted, I only run 4 Corona and 3 Force in my updated Boros. However, first turn Blood Knight is good too. So is second turn Rumbling Slum (first turn land, BOP) or Stone Rain in RG Beats. This card makes for stupid Magic. Have fun with this one.
Blood Knight - NOT BETTER THAN SLITH FIREWALKER! First turn Slith was almost GG. First turn Blood Knight is amazing, and possible, but it's not quite that good. I see Boros leaning a little closer to Red for this guy and Ape abuse.
Akroma, Angel of Fury - Momentary Blink's new favorite target. Morph, blink, win.
Boom//Bust - 'Geddon is always good in any form but I don't think this card has a deck to fit in yet. It will, don't worry about that. Here's a quick lesson - If you play control, play bloody counterspells!!! Scary card. Not to mention you can sack your Flagstones to kill their Karoo.
Calciderm - This will be the biggest dude on the table when he's played. And they really can't do anything but chump block and wait. For those of you who didn't experience the joy of playing against Blastoderm get used to playing against this thing.
Timbermare - The only reason this beautiful card is on my top 10 is the reason she was made. A tribute to a beautiful wife of a great player. Job well done wizards. This one you frame and put on your wall... not in your deck.
There you have it. My top 10. Notice the lack of Groundbreaker. This was intensional. Ball Lightning was a BURN SPELL for 3 mana in a deck full of fast creatures and direct damage. Play Call of the Herd or Solifuge or Ohran Viper or, even better, Moldervine Cloak. Trade these fast and high while they stay that way.
Torchling... Ahhhh. The underachieving brother of the once best-creature-ever. Here's the thing with Torchling - He's a GINGER!!! That's right. He's got red hair, freckles, and most importantly, no soul! Here's a quick analogy for you all...
Morphling is to Bill Murray (comic legend) as Torchling is to Carrot Top (Ginger)
Lllanowar Elves are in there so you can get a better chance at a 3/3 Scab-Mauler on turn 2. That's it really. Birds are better wearing a Moldervine Cloak of course but a 3/3 on turn two is worth ditching the flying manabirds IMO.
Call of the Herd is a card I forgot about. I would play those over the Groundbreakers instead of the Burning Tree Shamans. Keep in mind that this version of RG beats is made to beat a control heavy metagame which is what post-PC Standard is looking like. In an aggro-heavy meta i would make the following changes...
-3 Groundbreaker, -4 Giant Solifuge (to the SB)
+4 Call of the Herd, +3 Rumbling Slum
I really don't understand the fascination with bad hasted creatures like Timbermare and Uktabi Drake. Red green needs to be fast and consistent. Sure Groundbreaker is the new hottness but I don't see it being played exept in mono green (perhaps after green gets Troll Ascetic back). Here is a deck that can maybe swing the GGG nightmare CC that IS Groundbreaker but i would probably rather have Burning-Tree Shaman.
This is a good list to start with to race an Eight-Wrath/fetters/codemn/helix format. BTW, consistency isn't praying you hit thick-skinned Goblin on turn two and hope they dont have one of the million spells that kill this 2/1 creature so you can get around the upkeep costs of other bad creatures. The only cool things about Timbermare is the fact that it was a tribute to Jamie Wakefield's late wife and the artwork is beautiful. Point is - if you want to build a good deck use good cards not Uktabi Drake.
Standard... Who knows. I think Disenchant and Lightning Helix is the only reason to play white in control anymore.
Extended - Red Rock can play this with one in the board with Burning Wish and Tog could get a boost.
Legacy & Vintage - no effect. Wrath is barely played anyways in these formats at least in competitive decks.
Block - This will be the absolute nutz in block. With Tendrils of Corruption, Smallpox, Stronghold Overseer, and other very solid cards Damnnation will be the format (which is looking like an aggro format) defining card. $20 a pop. Easily.
I would run something pretty close to this right now in your metagame. If your meta goes more towards an aggro field I would replace Lava Spike with Seal of Fire in the MD and wreck aggro with Skred after the board. There are so many options for the colorless lands but I think that Scrying Sheets and MoR are better than Ghost Quarter because of the deck's lack of a late game and vulnerability to Paladin respectively. The extra Mouth in the board is nice cause not only is it another way to kill Paladin, you can bring it in with Hunted Dragon to assure you more land drops. Shattering Spree is nuts man! Try it for a week and you'll see.
Things to consider...
Phrexian Ironfoot, Manriki Gisari, Martyr of Ashes (which you mentioned), Bottled Cloister, a Land D sideboard with Icefall, Sowing Salt, or Cyroclasm, Glacial Ray, Parallectric Feedback. Those are some off the top of my head.
People, please vote for sketch B. It's definately the giant easter egg creature that crushes Carl's house from Aqua Teen. Sketch A looks like he's doing a Cactuar pose. Final Fantasy geeks will know exactly what i'm talking about so I can never take that picture seriously. I personally don't give a crap about the equipment vote. I don't think either one of them will see play. The Mountain and Plains with the sun in them (both #2 i believe) are probably two of the best ever printed.
Pretty solid set! Here's my top 10 minus the shocklands.
In no particular order...
1. Spellsnare - People have talked about this card to death but it's really darn powerful.
2. Demonfire - Great design. Not sure what kind of deck this fits in though.
3. Protean Hulk - This would be absolutly INSANE if it were a legend to target with Goryo's Vengence. Combos wonderfully with Greater Good.
4. Lyzolda, the Blood Witch - This card wears a giant friggin bullseye on it's head but if you can keep it in play... mmmmm card advantage. To bad one Electrolyze kills this and your Bob.
5. Rakdos Augermage - A free Coercion seems pretty good. 3/2 with firststrike is pretty hot too. Plus this triggers both sides of Lyzolda.
6. Simic Sky Swallower - Finally, a rediculously powerful fatty!!! A great reanimator target in extended and a great finisher in Standard. Thank you Wizards!
7. Voidslime - Two words... COUNTER ANYTHING...
8. Rise // Fall - Hymn to Tourach was good. Sure it can't get lands but it casts on turn 2 and can possibly wreck their hand. Rise is pretty darn useful as well.
9. Azorius Guildmage - This one card can really keep your opponents board under control if it isn't dealt with.
10. Condemn - This is a great satisfaction for those who have been waiting for a suitable replacement for STP.
By the way Grand Arbiter Augustin IV is not near as good as people are making him out to be. Trade this fast! Windreaver too. What made morphling good was that it's evasion (untargetability) didn't require it to be brought back to your hand.
My Top 10 RARE Guildpact cards in no particular order...
Standard
1. Steam Vents, Godless Shrine, Stomping Grounds
2. Burning Tree Shaman - RG staple
3. Ghost Council of Ozhova - GCO is one of the best Run-and-Hide creatures since Rainbow Efreet.
4. Rumbling Slum - RG staple
5. Mimeofacture - This card will make BlueTron completely rediculous.
6. Parallectric Feedback - If this card costs 4 or less mana and still has only a one R requirement, look the #$%@ out!
7. Angel of Despair - This card is awesome because she's non-legendary finisher, has great synergy with both Shoals, and the best 187 ability EVER!!!... and she's sexy. Seriously though, I don't know why some people dismiss this card. Sure she's not Kokusho or Yosei but their time in Standard is coming to an end. Pick these up cheaper now and smile during block season and the new Standard. Just watch out for Mimeofacture.
8. Quicken - At the very least this is a cantrip. Again, in a deck like Blue/X Tron (can you tell i like this deck yet?), it makes cards like Cranial Extraction, Pyroclasm, Tidings, Blaze/Invoke the FM, Mimeofacture, and even Compulsive Research insane.
9. Cerebral Vortex - Instant speed card drawing is hard to find. Two cards for three mana at instant speed is very solid. Not to mention it has other usefull abilities. Too bad this card is a rare. It feels more UC to me.
10. Scarrgan Firebird - A 6/6 flyer for 6 that keeps coming back seems pretty good.
Extended Top 5
1. Stomping Grounds
2. Steam Vents
3. Godless Shrine
4. Leyline of the Void - Tog? Friggorid? Slide? CAL? Screwed!
5. Burning Tree Shaman - RG Beats staple
Guildpact Top 10 Overall
1. Duals
2. Burning Tree Shaman
3. Rumbling Slum
4. Mortify
5. Electrolyze
6. Leyline of the Void
7. Mimeofacture
8. Ghost Council of Orzhova
9. Shattering Spree
10. Izzet Guildmage
This is a deck I saw on magic-league.com that I enjoyed putting together and playing. The original version had no land destruction and instead had a few Chars and a couple more creatures. Besides being the most expensive deck ever it has alot going for it. However, this wouldn't be my first choice in an Aggro-heavy metagame. It seems that this deck would punish control. There are so many great cards for this deck that it doesn't have room for. I think the Solifuge is fantastic but i don't think it belongs at the top end of a creature curve that utilizes Umezawa's Jitte. Rumbling Slum is also a house but i prefer the Elephant because of it's synergy with Dark Confidant.
2 Swamp
5 Forest
2 Plains
4 Temple Garden
4 Overgrown Tomb
2 Godless Shrine
4 Vitu-Ghazi, The City Tree
It's pretty basic for an incomplete metagame but it's a solid start I think. Right now it seems that block will be mostly about beatdown. That is, of course, until Dissention hits.
As for Standard...
3 Isamaru, Hound of Konda
4 Savannah Lions
4 Hand Of Cruelty
4 Hypnotic Specter
4 Dark Confidant
Duress
Abeyance
Brainstorm
Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary
Arc Slogger
Damnation - No explanation needed. Best card in the set.
Extirpate - Very, very solid card. Watch out Ichorid and Life from the Loam players. This baby will be extended legal this season.
Porphyry Nodes - I remember a laughing fit I had a couple months ago with another long time MTG friend at the thought of Wizards bringing Drop of Honey back. I also remember the pair of underwear I had to throw away when I saw this atrocity on the spoiler. What are they thinking? I don't think people understand how powerful this card is. Just wait...
Mire Boa - HAHAHAHA! Whatever. Bring back the second best green 2 drop creature of all time. Right. I remember playing mono U control waaaay back in the day only to loose to first turn (Elvish Spirit Guide) or second turn River Boa. What can you do? I know! Throw all the Powder Kegs and Nevinyyril's Disks in you hand across the frickin room. This card is really good. Put a Moldervine Cloak on this guy and sit back and win.
Simian Spirit Guide - Ahhh Elvish Spirit Guide. The bane of my once control-only playing existence. 10 years ago I remember laughing hysterically at rubbish like first turn Taiga, Kird Ape, ESG, Ghazban Ogre. Next turn, attack for 4. Pretty good, huh? It would have been better if I had Force of Will but that's not the point. Here's a glimpse of what I've been messing around with in Standard after the printing of this thing.
Turn 1: Play Sacred Foundry untapped
Remove Simian Spirit Guide from the Game to add R
Play Boros Swiftblade
Turn 2: Play Dust Corona on Boros Swiftblade
Play Brute Force on Boros Swiftblade
Attack for 12
Granted, this is a sick hand. Granted, I only run 4 Corona and 3 Force in my updated Boros. However, first turn Blood Knight is good too. So is second turn Rumbling Slum (first turn land, BOP) or Stone Rain in RG Beats. This card makes for stupid Magic. Have fun with this one.
Blood Knight - NOT BETTER THAN SLITH FIREWALKER! First turn Slith was almost GG. First turn Blood Knight is amazing, and possible, but it's not quite that good. I see Boros leaning a little closer to Red for this guy and Ape abuse.
Akroma, Angel of Fury - Momentary Blink's new favorite target. Morph, blink, win.
Boom//Bust - 'Geddon is always good in any form but I don't think this card has a deck to fit in yet. It will, don't worry about that. Here's a quick lesson - If you play control, play bloody counterspells!!! Scary card. Not to mention you can sack your Flagstones to kill their Karoo.
Calciderm - This will be the biggest dude on the table when he's played. And they really can't do anything but chump block and wait. For those of you who didn't experience the joy of playing against Blastoderm get used to playing against this thing.
Timbermare - The only reason this beautiful card is on my top 10 is the reason she was made. A tribute to a beautiful wife of a great player. Job well done wizards. This one you frame and put on your wall... not in your deck.
There you have it. My top 10. Notice the lack of Groundbreaker. This was intensional. Ball Lightning was a BURN SPELL for 3 mana in a deck full of fast creatures and direct damage. Play Call of the Herd or Solifuge or Ohran Viper or, even better, Moldervine Cloak. Trade these fast and high while they stay that way.
Torchling... Ahhhh. The underachieving brother of the once best-creature-ever. Here's the thing with Torchling - He's a GINGER!!! That's right. He's got red hair, freckles, and most importantly, no soul! Here's a quick analogy for you all...
Morphling is to Bill Murray (comic legend) as Torchling is to Carrot Top (Ginger)
Peace.
Call of the Herd is a card I forgot about. I would play those over the Groundbreakers instead of the Burning Tree Shamans. Keep in mind that this version of RG beats is made to beat a control heavy metagame which is what post-PC Standard is looking like. In an aggro-heavy meta i would make the following changes...
-3 Groundbreaker, -4 Giant Solifuge (to the SB)
+4 Call of the Herd, +3 Rumbling Slum
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Kird Ape
2 Scorched Rusalka
4 Mire Boa
4 Scab-Clan Mauler
3 Groundbreaker
4 Giant Solifuge
3 Moldervine Cloak
4 Char
4 Rift Bolt
2 Stonewood Invocation or Demonfire
4 Stomping Ground
4 Karplusan Forest
4 Gemstone Mine
2 Grull Turf
2 Skarrg the Rage Pits
3 Forest
2 Mountain
1 Pendelhaven
This is a good list to start with to race an Eight-Wrath/fetters/codemn/helix format. BTW, consistency isn't praying you hit thick-skinned Goblin on turn two and hope they dont have one of the million spells that kill this 2/1 creature so you can get around the upkeep costs of other bad creatures. The only cool things about Timbermare is the fact that it was a tribute to Jamie Wakefield's late wife and the artwork is beautiful. Point is - if you want to build a good deck use good cards not Uktabi Drake.
Decks that benefit -
Standard... Who knows. I think Disenchant and Lightning Helix is the only reason to play white in control anymore.
Extended - Red Rock can play this with one in the board with Burning Wish and Tog could get a boost.
Legacy & Vintage - no effect. Wrath is barely played anyways in these formats at least in competitive decks.
Block - This will be the absolute nutz in block. With Tendrils of Corruption, Smallpox, Stronghold Overseer, and other very solid cards Damnnation will be the format (which is looking like an aggro format) defining card. $20 a pop. Easily.
4 Magus of he Scroll
4 Knight of the Holy Nimbus
4 Soltari Priest
3 Serra Avenger
2 Jaya Ballard, Task Mage
4 Lightning Helix
4 Seal of Fire
4 Char
3 Volcanic Hammer
3 Sunforger
4 Sacred Foundry
4 Battlefield Forge
4 Gemstone Mine
2 Boros Garrison
1 Mountain
6 Plains
S.B.
4 Paladin En-Vec
4 Devouring Light
4 Luminesce
3 Disenchant
This is where I would start with the deck and go from there. Gemstone Mine is a must in this deck because sometimes two multi-lands isn't enough.
3 Scorched Rusulka
4 Orcish Artillary
4 Frenzied Goblin
3 Rakdos Guildmage
3 Hearth Kami
4 Char
4 Flames of the Blood Hand
4 Lava Spike
4 Volcanic Hammer
2 Genju of the Spires
3 Mouth of Ronom
2 Scrying Sheets
16 Snow Covered Mountain
SB:
1 Mouth of Ronom
4 Skred
3 Blood Moon
2 Shattering Spree
3 Hunted Dragon
2 Threaten
I would run something pretty close to this right now in your metagame. If your meta goes more towards an aggro field I would replace Lava Spike with Seal of Fire in the MD and wreck aggro with Skred after the board. There are so many options for the colorless lands but I think that Scrying Sheets and MoR are better than Ghost Quarter because of the deck's lack of a late game and vulnerability to Paladin respectively. The extra Mouth in the board is nice cause not only is it another way to kill Paladin, you can bring it in with Hunted Dragon to assure you more land drops. Shattering Spree is nuts man! Try it for a week and you'll see.
Things to consider...
Phrexian Ironfoot, Manriki Gisari, Martyr of Ashes (which you mentioned), Bottled Cloister, a Land D sideboard with Icefall, Sowing Salt, or Cyroclasm, Glacial Ray, Parallectric Feedback. Those are some off the top of my head.
Anyways, good article Bill. See ya Thursday.
In no particular order...
1. Spellsnare - People have talked about this card to death but it's really darn powerful.
2. Demonfire - Great design. Not sure what kind of deck this fits in though.
3. Protean Hulk - This would be absolutly INSANE if it were a legend to target with Goryo's Vengence. Combos wonderfully with Greater Good.
4. Lyzolda, the Blood Witch - This card wears a giant friggin bullseye on it's head but if you can keep it in play... mmmmm card advantage. To bad one Electrolyze kills this and your Bob.
5. Rakdos Augermage - A free Coercion seems pretty good. 3/2 with firststrike is pretty hot too. Plus this triggers both sides of Lyzolda.
6. Simic Sky Swallower - Finally, a rediculously powerful fatty!!! A great reanimator target in extended and a great finisher in Standard. Thank you Wizards!
7. Voidslime - Two words... COUNTER ANYTHING...
8. Rise // Fall - Hymn to Tourach was good. Sure it can't get lands but it casts on turn 2 and can possibly wreck their hand. Rise is pretty darn useful as well.
9. Azorius Guildmage - This one card can really keep your opponents board under control if it isn't dealt with.
10. Condemn - This is a great satisfaction for those who have been waiting for a suitable replacement for STP.
By the way Grand Arbiter Augustin IV is not near as good as people are making him out to be. Trade this fast! Windreaver too. What made morphling good was that it's evasion (untargetability) didn't require it to be brought back to your hand.
Standard
1. Steam Vents, Godless Shrine, Stomping Grounds
2. Burning Tree Shaman - RG staple
3. Ghost Council of Ozhova - GCO is one of the best Run-and-Hide creatures since Rainbow Efreet.
4. Rumbling Slum - RG staple
5. Mimeofacture - This card will make BlueTron completely rediculous.
6. Parallectric Feedback - If this card costs 4 or less mana and still has only a one R requirement, look the #$%@ out!
7. Angel of Despair - This card is awesome because she's non-legendary finisher, has great synergy with both Shoals, and the best 187 ability EVER!!!... and she's sexy. Seriously though, I don't know why some people dismiss this card. Sure she's not Kokusho or Yosei but their time in Standard is coming to an end. Pick these up cheaper now and smile during block season and the new Standard. Just watch out for Mimeofacture.
8. Quicken - At the very least this is a cantrip. Again, in a deck like Blue/X Tron (can you tell i like this deck yet?), it makes cards like Cranial Extraction, Pyroclasm, Tidings, Blaze/Invoke the FM, Mimeofacture, and even Compulsive Research insane.
9. Cerebral Vortex - Instant speed card drawing is hard to find. Two cards for three mana at instant speed is very solid. Not to mention it has other usefull abilities. Too bad this card is a rare. It feels more UC to me.
10. Scarrgan Firebird - A 6/6 flyer for 6 that keeps coming back seems pretty good.
Extended Top 5
1. Stomping Grounds
2. Steam Vents
3. Godless Shrine
4. Leyline of the Void - Tog? Friggorid? Slide? CAL? Screwed!
5. Burning Tree Shaman - RG Beats staple
Guildpact Top 10 Overall
1. Duals
2. Burning Tree Shaman
3. Rumbling Slum
4. Mortify
5. Electrolyze
6. Leyline of the Void
7. Mimeofacture
8. Ghost Council of Orzhova
9. Shattering Spree
10. Izzet Guildmage
4 Kird Ape
3 Isamaru, Hound of Konda
2 Savannha Lions
4 BoP
2 Llanowar Elves
4 Dark Confidant
3 Watchwolf
4 Loxodon Heirarch
3 Umezawa's Jitte
4 Wreak Havok
3 Stone Rain
4 Lightning Helix
4 Sacred Foundry
4 Overgrown Tomb
4 Temple Garden
4 Stomping Ground
2 Brushland
2 Battlefield Forge
SB:
4 Cranial Extraction
4 Pithing Needle
3 Naturalize
4 Faith's Fetters
This is a deck I saw on magic-league.com that I enjoyed putting together and playing. The original version had no land destruction and instead had a few Chars and a couple more creatures. Besides being the most expensive deck ever it has alot going for it. However, this wouldn't be my first choice in an Aggro-heavy metagame. It seems that this deck would punish control. There are so many great cards for this deck that it doesn't have room for. I think the Solifuge is fantastic but i don't think it belongs at the top end of a creature curve that utilizes Umezawa's Jitte. Rumbling Slum is also a house but i prefer the Elephant because of it's synergy with Dark Confidant.
4 BoP
4 Carven Caryatid
4 Loxodon Heirarch
3 Grave Shell Scarab
3 Angel of Despair
1 Sisters of Stone Death
4 Farseek
4 Putrefy
4 Faith's Fetters
3 Plague Boiler
3 Mortify
2 Swamp
5 Forest
2 Plains
4 Temple Garden
4 Overgrown Tomb
2 Godless Shrine
4 Vitu-Ghazi, The City Tree
It's pretty basic for an incomplete metagame but it's a solid start I think. Right now it seems that block will be mostly about beatdown. That is, of course, until Dissention hits.
As for Standard...
3 Isamaru, Hound of Konda
4 Savannah Lions
4 Hand Of Cruelty
4 Hypnotic Specter
4 Dark Confidant
4 Umezawa's Jitte
4 Mortify
3 Pithing Needle
4 Castigate
4 Blackmail
4 Caves of Koilos
4 Godless Shrine
2 Tendo Ice Bridge
1 Shizo, Death's Storehouse
1 Eiganjo Castle
10 Swamp
The deck above would function well in a control-heavy metagame. In an aggro-heavy meta I would build...
3 Kokusho, the Evening Star
4 Yosei, the Morning Star
2 Angel of Despair
4 Orzhov Signet
4 Wrath of God
4 Mortify
2 Final Judgement
4 Faith's Fetters
3 Phyrexian Arena
3 Pithing Needle
3 Last Gasp
4 Godless Shrine
4 Caves of Koilos
4 Orzhov Basilica
3 Quicksand
3 Plains
3 Swamp
1 Shizo, Death's Storehouse
1 Miren, the Moaning Well
1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
For the two Standard decks I tried to stay exclusively WB. However, a green splash is easily accomplished and makes both of the above decks better.
LMK what you guys think. I'm new to these forums. Thanks.