Here's to hoping it's just a glitch. The Azorius Guildmage was specifically mentioned in official correspondence which was transcribed on the official website, so I'd be quite surprised if it didn't show up.
so we have:
3WB
WB
XBG
3BG
RW
3RW
1GW
XGW
UB shows twice
UR
3UR
1RG
3RG
which takes care of the mana costs for the split cards, and proves there are ten (unless someone can find more mana costs).
Tutoring for a second card of the same name is definitely a boon, and I don't understand the naysayers in this regard. Heartbeat combo decks can't wait to get another copy of Heartbeat of Spring or Early Harvest, or getting two copies of Yosei, the Morning Star before dropping them both for the lock (adding Debtors' Knell or Gleancrawler or something). It continues to get crazy from there with multiple copies of Putrefy, Loxodon Hierarch or the myriad other great cards in Standard. This new tutor goes great with Sensei's Divining Top, and since the mana accelleration in the format is fantastic, playing the tutor and then the card you got (or even both copies) is very realistic. In addition, the artwork is very good.
I've got an idea of some discard recently. Maybe it'll help Rakdos in their "Hand-emptying" deal (I still doubt it's their main deal, 'cause BR have the cheapest spells). Anyways...
The [DIS]cardBR
Sorcery (U)
~ cost 1 more for each card in target player's hand.
That player discards his or her hand.
That's a really cool and balanced idea. You could almost have a 'for each card beyond the first' clause to help it out. The way you have suggested, it's almost too fair. I like the 'target player' part too; fits nicely with Hellbent. I think that Wizards will come up with some neat twists on the discard theme that will surprise us all (or at least, those of us who admit to being surprised and aren't too jaded to admit things all together).
I think there's only two logical ways to do it: Have 5 split cards, each one being based on a color's two enemy guilds, or have 10 split cards, two for each color, one with enemy guilds and one with allied ones.
If there's only 5, then based on Crime/Punishment the others would have to be Boros/Orzhov, Simic/Izzet, Izzet/Boros, and Simic/Golgari. If there's ten, then we can also expect Azorius/Selesnya, Dimir/Azorius, Rakdos/Dimir, Gruul/Rakdos, and Selesnya/Gruul.
Who else wants the Simic/Izzet card to be called Ben // Jerry's?
If there's only five, why would Wizards leave out some guilds? I think it would be more likely that each guild would be represented and there wouldn't be a hardline 'enemy color' or 'allied color' pattern in such an event.
Seek :1mana::symu::symr:
Instant
Search your library for an instant or sorcery card and put it into your hand.
//
Destroy :symr::symw:
Instant
Destroy target artifact or enchantment, then choose one - Destroy deals damage equal to the casting cost to the controller; or you gain life equal to the casting cost.
It feels weird that they didn't give Izzet any Merchant Scroll variant, don't care about the Boros all that much, but I did enjoy Orim's Thunder way more than I should.
Divide :2mana::symw::symb:
Sorcery
Target player sacrifices half of the creatures he or she controls rounded down.
//
Conquer :4mana::symr::symw:
Sorcery
Creatures you control get +4/+0 until end of turn and gain protection from the colour of your choice.
Because Culling Sun is not all the mass removal Orzhov should have and Boros might enjoy a finishing blow
Don't want to speculate on the others since only the five Apocalypse combinations are definitely confirmed and I on't know nothing about Simic, outside from its apparent suckage
I don't necessarily agree with the card examples, but your rationale is fantastic. I fear, however, that each guild will only be featured once and that the Orzhov option has been exhausted.
I'd say a Dimir-into-Izzet deck that's all about tempo mops up Rav-Rav-GP. It's hard to win when all your stuff keeps coming back to your hand. Orzhov decks are going to be staring down a hand full of removal that's irrelevant because the opponent is stalling out and playing very few creatures, and Gruul decks are going to get destroyed by the burn and bounce. That said, I still prefer to play a Selesnya/Golgari-into-Orzhov deck. It's difficult to beat a well constructed deck featuring the Izzet, because if the game runs long (and it probably will between those guilds) the Izzet have the edge with replicate and recursion. When the Dimir->Izzet route is taken, the deck can feature the great black removal same as Golgari->Orzhov. Brainspoil, Last Gasp, Clinging Darkness and Darkblast can all find a place in such a deck. This puts the other guilds at a disadvantage. A creature strategy is an ideal opponent for the UBR player, because there's an answer to pretty much everything. An agressive deck will need to come out of the hatch with much fury to have a shot. A control deck will simply yeild too much time and lose to Replicate.
These are from the same magazine which presented the three dual lands and the two rakdos cards. Ok, so the beast isn't really Simic, but it mentions them in the flavor text. Is it just me, or is azorius being kept hidden from the public more than the two others?
It's just you, I think. This is stuff from one magazine from one country. The featured cards were probably determined by marketing staff and editors, and chosen because those people thought those cards would be the most exciting, or resonate with the fanbase of that particular region and publication. The real test of obscurity would be what is officially previewed by Wizards, or more accurately, what isn't. Let's wait until we get more scans from more magazines from more parts of the globe before we declare the Azorius Senate "hidden from the public".
Look at the zombie assassin in the dimir style guide.
My point exactly. In the style guide, the zombies are hairless and feature what remaining flesh they have left drawn tight over their bones. The figure in Last Gasp has many vestiges of life still intact. The overall feel of the piece is still Rakdos to me. His vestiments are too open and ornate to be used during infiltration, and are perfect for someone who worships a demon lord.
I think Concerted Effort could just as easily fit into Selesnya. Thoughtpicker Witch should be Golgari, and everything but the Sphinx and the Vedalken don't belong to the dimir.
Then why does Peel from Reality specifically mention House Dimir in the flavor text, and in a manner that alludes to the spell being of their design?
Quote from Oni kadaki »
I think you're right about the sohpisticate and caryatid. Also, last gasp depics a dimir zombie-assassin, see roofstalker wight.
I don't see it. The figure in Last Gasp is built like an evil and warped humanoid, and doesn't exhibit any signs of decay, atrophy or skeletal exposure that would identify it as a zombie. At any rate, it sucks to be the Golgari guy that's on the receiving end of that spell.
Last Gasp looks to be Rakdos, judging by the figure inflicting harm on the subject. I also feel that Dryad Sophisticate doesn't belong to any guild, and is certainly not in a Gruul Clan with a name like that. Also, Ghosts of the Innocent doesn't seem like they're in the service of the Orzhov Syndicate to me, but I can't quite figure out why that is. Droning Bureaucrats may be working for the Azorius Senate. Frazzle is clearly depicting an Izzet experiment gone awry. Strands of Undeath depicts an Orzhov undead monstrosity of some kind.
To me this seems a very Azorious flavored card. I think its uses will be magnified with Dissentions release.
Until then, I am dusting off my old UW Stasis deck and dropping 4 in there
Since Spelltithe Enforcer deals with debt and taxation, it seems very Orzhov to me. Also, the cloaked figures in the background lend some support to this conjecture.
This information comes from Aaron Forsythe's article on Friday, March 24th, 2006. "...there is an honest-to-God Spider in Dissension and two more in Coldsnap".
17 land isn't insane its insurance cuase u wouldn't wanna get land screwed. all u have to do is just a good shuffle and a 6 or 7 way split and ur set.
Relying on a "good shuffle" is a sure-fire way to lose. You have several mana fixers and accelerators which allows you to drop the land count, which in turn allows for more cards that will actually help you to win. Bounce lands are fantastic, as they generate a kind of card advantage while smoothing out your color base. Playing seventeen lands in this deck is asking for problems.
Quote from Dark Confident »
blind hunter plays a big part in sealeds and pillory of sleepness they jus go crazy. i won the arena sneak peak using a black white green deck and it was just crazy.
Blind Hunter and Pillory of the Sleepless are widely acknowledged as the best Orzhov commons. Too bad they aren't in this card pool. Furthermore, Izzet decks rule this format, as their late game is superior to the others, and they have many cards that will wreck your tempo. WGB is good, but will have problems when all the stuff on the table is getting bounced and burned away, or taken out by some unforseen Thunderheads.
3WB
WB
XBG
3BG
RW
3RW
1GW
XGW
UB shows twice
UR
3UR
1RG
3RG
which takes care of the mana costs for the split cards, and proves there are ten (unless someone can find more mana costs).
WB also has one occurrence.
That's a really cool and balanced idea. You could almost have a 'for each card beyond the first' clause to help it out. The way you have suggested, it's almost too fair. I like the 'target player' part too; fits nicely with Hellbent. I think that Wizards will come up with some neat twists on the discard theme that will surprise us all (or at least, those of us who admit to being surprised and aren't too jaded to admit things all together).
If there's only five, why would Wizards leave out some guilds? I think it would be more likely that each guild would be represented and there wouldn't be a hardline 'enemy color' or 'allied color' pattern in such an event.
I don't necessarily agree with the card examples, but your rationale is fantastic. I fear, however, that each guild will only be featured once and that the Orzhov option has been exhausted.
It's just you, I think. This is stuff from one magazine from one country. The featured cards were probably determined by marketing staff and editors, and chosen because those people thought those cards would be the most exciting, or resonate with the fanbase of that particular region and publication. The real test of obscurity would be what is officially previewed by Wizards, or more accurately, what isn't. Let's wait until we get more scans from more magazines from more parts of the globe before we declare the Azorius Senate "hidden from the public".
My point exactly. In the style guide, the zombies are hairless and feature what remaining flesh they have left drawn tight over their bones. The figure in Last Gasp has many vestiges of life still intact. The overall feel of the piece is still Rakdos to me. His vestiments are too open and ornate to be used during infiltration, and are perfect for someone who worships a demon lord.
I don't see it. The figure in Last Gasp is built like an evil and warped humanoid, and doesn't exhibit any signs of decay, atrophy or skeletal exposure that would identify it as a zombie. At any rate, it sucks to be the Golgari guy that's on the receiving end of that spell.
Since Spelltithe Enforcer deals with debt and taxation, it seems very Orzhov to me. Also, the cloaked figures in the background lend some support to this conjecture.
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/daily/af111
Blind Hunter and Pillory of the Sleepless are widely acknowledged as the best Orzhov commons. Too bad they aren't in this card pool. Furthermore, Izzet decks rule this format, as their late game is superior to the others, and they have many cards that will wreck your tempo. WGB is good, but will have problems when all the stuff on the table is getting bounced and burned away, or taken out by some unforseen Thunderheads.