• Scattered Groves replaces Temple Garden
• Ash Barrens replaces Safewright Quest
• Jade Mage replaces Selesnya Guildmage
The +1/+1 mode just isn't as good when the core creatures are growing to be more spread out. Repeatable 1/1 chump blockers is the most appealing part of this and doubling at 6 and 9 being achievable makes this a good swap.
• Gnarlwood Dryad replaces Death-Hood Cobra
With multiplayer, this is attacking less, so having to hold up mana for deathtouch makes the snake pretty bad, even if it can block fliers. This one turns into a threat when drawn late to help end games.
• Deathcap Cultivator replaces Avacyn's Pilgrim
This solves the problem of bad mana dorks. In smaller settings, 1/1 bodies can be made relevant fairly easily. This setting needs more longevity when flooding out late. Deathtouch is natural even if this change prevents the deck from moonlighting as a commander deck.
• Clear Shot replaces Dromoka's Command
This is a questionable change, but it makes it harder for this to 2-for-1 combat tricks, allows it to BE a combat trick, and allows deathtouch creatures to damage big creatures without dying. The blow out scenario is also lessened with awkward interactions with removing aura-based removal in combat.
• Choking Restraints replaces Contagion Glasp
This interacts with a slightly different set of threats. Instead of being expensive and targeting utility creatures, it's cheap, and stops big creatures before being a mana sink to deal with creatures with abilities late.
• Provoke replaces Detainment Spell
Doesn't answer threats as easily, but allows social play and deals with utility creatures with no card cost.
• Blessed Alliance replaces Martial Law
This interacts with a slightly different set of threats but does untap creatures tapped down by tappers. Detain is awkward and was ultimately just a 1 for 1.
• Faith Unbroken replaces Vow of Duty
This has better gameplay as the vow typically clogged the board and didn't answer utility creatures. This cleans up utility creatures decently, especially those that accrue value over time.
• Elder of Laurels replaces Seedcradle Witch
This is less-dependent on the ability to ward off early plays and is less of an oppressive ability.
• Unstable Obelisk replaces Selesnya Keyrune
This is more tension and ramp-desiring / pay off. This may be less useful midgame though. This is one of the few remaining ways of getting an aura off your big threat.
• Become Immense replaces Beast Within
This targets combat rather than being efficient, flexible removal. This slot no longer destroys auras and doesn't leave behind a 3/3 token to be dealt with.
• Prepare // Fight replaces Test of Faith
Untap combat trick has more play to it than a flash aura that eats deathtouchers.
• Ainok Bond-Kin replaces Phyrexian Revoker
Early game 2/1s are just bad now and utility creatures are less important than in 1v1
• Heliod's Emissary replaces Wiltleaf Cavaliers
Aggro needs a bit more assist than beefy vigilance. This is now a mana sink and adds to delirium
• Benevolent Offering replaces Briarhorn
Testing out flying tokens and life gain. Might be too much of a liability, but Briarhorn was always too much of a blow out.
• Dragonscale General replaces Auriok Bladewarden
Trying something new.
• Sentinel of the Eternal Watch replaces Coalition Honor Guard
Flagbearers are significantly more awkward in multiplayer where they prevent opponents from killing each other's creatures.
• Conifer Strider replaces Acidic Slime
• Domesticated Hydra replaces Kavu Primarch
Golgari Decoy is now on the watch list because there are very few things it can actually interact against in a satisfying way compared to before. I think there are fewer permanent buffs it can acquire but it still may have enough buffs for it to be usable.
That didn't focus on pairings. It still hinged on trying to get people to play lots of different colors and provided gold cards for that purpose. The Disciples, Sanctuaries, and Volvers didn't really want you to play two colors; they wanted 3.
Wouldn't it make more sense to have Yawgmoth as white as the cleric he always wanted to be?
Temporal Isolation looks like it would be right at home with Auratog and/or the two Atogs in Odyssey that eat enchantments as both a 'removal' spell, a pump spell, and a way to go unblocked.
Edit: Speaking of Auratog, it has a lot of stuff it can use in standard.
Ivory Mask, Story Circle, Celestial Dawn, Enduring Renewal, Faith's Fetters, Temporal Isolation, Pentarch Ward, Annex, Copy Enchantment, Counterbalance, Flight of Fancy, Hatching Plans, Leyline of Singularity, Mark of Eviction, Writ of Passage, Zur's Weirding, Pyrexian Arena, Seal of Doom, Seal of Fire, Galvanic Arc, Fists of Ironwood, Shape of the Wiitigo, Utopia Sprawl, Sheilding Plax
And of course: Spirit Loop, Fool's Demise, Fallen Ideal, Undying Rage, Aspect of Mongoose
I'm thinking that Future Sight will be cards that are strongly tied to block mechanics of the future. And when I say future, I mean 2-5 years from now, ie. there will be no duplicates in Standard. And I think it'd be really wierd/neat if they timeshifted a card that they intend to put in a block very, very far into the future, although by that point we'd see it coming...
Turn 2 Swamp/Mountain + Rite of Flame, Persecute
First, how likely is this going to happen?
Second, is there a better way?
Last, why would someone bother?
Put target face-up card that's removed from the game into its owner's graveyard.
So therefore then, it can 'remove' Norin...until they change the wording again.
Aether Flash
Lethal Vapors
No, they aren't in standard, but you'd be much more likely to find a combo in formats where these cards exist.
Edit: Nevermind. Pull from Eternity only works on suspened cards... : /
(Yes, he still is hard to remove...but there are options that might see play otherwise...)
Regardless, Norin's pretty cool, and I'd play a single copy of him in any deck with red, even if I couldn't use him to combo. He's just so neat.
I suppose one could argue that WotC is incapable of printing a set that could fail on a grand scale. And they probably wouldn't release a set if there weren't enough buyers out there to buy it....
??? Is mutual assured destruction out of the picture?