When I woke up this morning I saw that M13 had finally finished spoiling. Huray!!! After looking over the cards spoiled while I slept, I couldn't help but think, "now what?" Where will the meta go from where it is now thanks to the new cards. Below are a few cards I see influencing the game. I am ignoring Plaeswalkers because I feel they are good for a different blog.
Starting in White.
Odric, Master Tactician I expect will get good amounts of play. His strenght will be in token decks. With white having tons and tons of token generation, anybody who can allow you to determine how your opponent will block is going to be huge. His weakness is a big one. He doesn't do anything to the board until after you have had him for a turn. Without imediate board presence, I don't know how far he will go. Howver, in a Boros (WR) deck, Fervor might make him more playable. Lucky for Odric, he is human, and with Cavern of Souls he might make the color pair quite good. So on a rating scale of 1-10, I'd give him a 7.
Sublime Archangel Oh joy!. Here is a creature that when it hits the board, it needs to be dealt with immediately or you are about to be experiencing a bunch of hurt. Again, the best place for this is in a token deck I think. The more creatures you can get the better for the ability. In a WB token deck with invisible stalker, you just gave your opponent lots of trouble. Blue has for the moment 3 unblockable creatures I can think of, and possibly more. So I expect good things to come of this card.
On to Blue!
Augur of Bolas will likely get play. 1U for a 1/3 creature is already decent. But the ETB is what makes this card seem likely to see lots of play. It gets you an instant or sorcery if you have one in the top 3 card spots. The downside to this card is the rest goes to the bottom of your library. One other issue I forsee is how this will mesh with Delver. You basically end up not knowing if the next card you draw will flip delver. On the other hand, combine with Index, and you can basically decide which two or three cards of the top 5 go to the bottom while the rest are there for your taking and flipping needs. So we will see how much play it gets.
Omniscience. What can a person say about this card? It is giant in it's casting cost, but if you manage to get it out, you basically won the game. Every spell is a free spell once it hits. For this reason, I think some crazy wizzard will try to build a green blue deck around it and ramp. I don't know how far the wizzard will get, but I hope to see the deck cause the card screams awesome. Off the topic of standard for a second, I don't want to think of what will happen in Legacy with this card. Show and Tell can abuse this like nothing else. It is easily a 1st turn drop with the bit of mana acceleration that deck has. Everybody I have talked to has already stated they expect the card to be banned in Legacy at the very least. I'm not sure how I feel about that. If it were up to me, somebody would wipe their backside with the reserved list, and many of the banned cards in Legacy would be unbanned.
Sphinx of Uthuun. It is a reprint, so while I expect it will go well, in standard, especially with the flickering an ability.
Talrand, Sky Summoner JOY!!! I love this card. I want to fit it into a delver deck so bad. You can really clog the skies with 2/2 fliers with this. Lingering souls? You just got an extra bonus 2/2 flier for that spell. Gitaxian probe not only gets you a sneak peak at their hand, and a card draw, but now it gets you a 2/2 also. This card is the bomb in my book. I hope to use and abuse it.
Time for black.
The only card in black that isn't a reprint that I will discuss is disciple of bolas Combine with Exalted, the creature you sacrifice could be quite large netting you both lots of life and lots oof card draw. I cant wait to see what some mage comes up with to abuse this card. It may not be top tier, but it will be fun to toy with.
Burninating with Red.
Many people have been knocking on Red getting the shortest end of the stick lately, but I like a lot of red stuff that spoiled in M13. arms dealer is a reprint that I can see being played. There are several goblins that fill slots in this set. Goblins could really make a decent deck for a litle while. Don't forget we still have goblin grenade in M12 for a little while longer. The Goblin mage among us will have 2 ways to pitch those creatures for some burn for the next 3 months. I just wish I could find my old playset of goblin grenades. I like the fallen empires version of the card the most. The artwork was just awesome.
Probably my favorite red card spoiled in M13 is Thundermaw Hellkite. How many people were shocked by that statement? My guess is close to 0. That guy on here who keeps posting blogs with Burninator in them has to be dancing in his seat. This latest dragon has an impact the second it hits the board. Not only does it ping all fliers for 1, it taps them, and it has haste so it can pound face for 5 all on the turn it enters. For 5 CMC this is insane. Any deck running good amounts of red should want this. This card is all sorts of bang for the buck. It will see play for sure. I'd love to see a RG deck where you soulbond him to nightshade peddler. That kind of deathtouch is just powerful.
Worldfire Do I even have to talk about this card and how broken it could become? I already plan on a green red deck for this. Thragtusk who makes the list when I get to green will combo perfectly with Worldfire. Wipe the board graves and hands of everybody, and you now have a 3/3 sittin there so that next turn you can hit your opponent who can do nothing to stop it. I'm picking up a playset of this card even if it never becomes anything close to a competative deck..
Green, my favorite color!
rancor It is back. I dusted off my boxes of old cards and found 6 copies. Back in the day I didn't realize how good the card really was. I know I played with it back in the day, but it was due to me getting lucky in choosing a half decent card. I also played using deadly insect. I hate deadly insect now especially after I found one in my shoe one morning while getting ready for work. For an example of the size the spider in my shoe was, google clock spider.
ground seal is another reprint that I think will see play. It seems good against the meta at the moment, and it draws you a card. The card draw is I think the best part of the card since there are other cards out there to hate the grave.
Enough with green reprints, they certainly got enough of them that I could write on and on about that only. A green creature everybody is looking at is thragtusk not only do you get 5 life for 5 mana, but you get a 5/3 creature to boot. If that wasn't enough, when you combine him with worldfire you win the game. The key is that he creates the token when he leaves the battlefield. So even Exiling him nets you a token. If it said when he goes to the grave, he wouldn't be nearly as good. I really want to see a deck that uses restoration angel, thragtusk, and worldfire. You would have nice lifegain, creature production and a win condition. Not sure if 3 colors will be possible, but a guy can dream.
Last but not least of the green machines is yeva, nature's herald. A 4/4 for decent for a creature, add flash, and turn her into the green version of shimmer myr and you have yourself a nice creature. I look forward to seeing brews with her.
My overview of standard once M13 joins the pack but before RTR hits is that elfball might become a thing to recon with. We have some good elves in standard, and some new spells that can utilize their mana production. I want to see somebody ramp out Thragtusk and then worldfire on the backs of elves. If that doesn't work, with Yeva out you can cast elvish visionary to draw on opponents turn and maybe miricle away. M13 looks to be good to green X decks. It also looks good for miracles. I will be finishing up my miracle collection for sure and playing one of those at an FNM if I can ever make it to one.
Anyway, post up your thoughts on the cards I discussed and feel free to bring up others I didn't comment on. I know there are many more good cards in M13 that I didn't shout out. The Ajani and Liliana are cool, and I expect there will be something fierce built with at least Ajani, and I hope with Liliana.
You make a lot of good points here, but Augur of Bolas isn't just going to see play. He's the nuts. He blocks Strangleroot, he digs for Ponder, Snag, Leak, and all the other goodies delver players love. A Spell Cantrip 1/3 for 1U? Heh. So good. Thragtusk and Groundseal are very good as well, and you hit the nail on the head with the cantrip being the best part about it. Mutilation is interesting. The new Ajani fits into the Spirits Solar Flare build pretty well. [Report]
Yeah i agree with you green is going to get some play in standard forshure because of Thragtust, also I google'd Clock spider.. holy shit man talk about creepin me out :P lol
P.S. Where did you go to find all the spoilers for M13?? [Report]
Hello crazy wizard here http://www.mtgdeckbuilder.net/Decks/EditDeck/147335 omni. deck I build a few days back when it first got released. (just cause you asked). Some things you forgot to mention was crazy battle of wits decks. Of course something similar to that won't see much of standard play right even with a tutor play/ self mill?? Well i'm actually surprised you didn't mention how the dual lands were reprinted again!!! NEW RECORD longest dual lands in sets in standard! In witch will make them even cheaper go peddlers! I do think rancor will see some play even on very annoying hexproof creatures to boot... We all know Mr. Elder needs one. I think the meta will shift to a more creature base of the low costing type or all will see is delver till the big shift since you must admit on turn 2/3 miracle on a slumbering dragon can be very scary but, with mana leak still floating around I don't think that current meta is going to change that much just insert more red agro and there you go ^^. [Report]
Yeah, I put my shoe on with no socks, and for a few minutes I felt something tickling my big toe. So I got annoyed with it and took off my shoe when a spider the size of my hand fell out with a few broken legs. I got lucky and pinned the spider down in my shoe so he couldn't bite me.
Ethra, I am excited the duals are back again 3X in a row. I'm going to go out and pick up the rest that I need to have a full set of all. I'm also gonna have to break down and get the full set of Innistrad lands too. I'm tired of playing magic with less than optimal manabase. If only my old dual lands were standard still.
As for cards I need to buy as soon as the set drops, I'm gonna have to go with Thragtusk, Worldfire, ground seal, index, and good old Jace's Phantasm. I don't plan on buying packs of M13, so even the cheap stuff will have to be purchased.
Anyway, I can't wait for RTR, it certainly has the hype, lets hope it lives up to it. [Report]
I predict that Jace's Phantasm will be a 3-copy sideboard card for Delver because it so completely kills Frites/Reanimator. Frites got Mutilate and Rise From The Grave, and Wolf-Run got a ton of fatties+Rancor, but overall, I still only see Delver on top. [Report]
Well I have two points to make. First disciple of bolas can't benifit from exhalted because exhalted only triggers during the attack step and disciple doesn't have flash, and why would you want to sac something you are attacking with. The only play I see disciple of bolas being used in, is maybe Junk Pod but I highly doubt it. On to the second point. New Ajani, might see a lot of play, especially with the exhalted mechanic coming back. I feel that he is highly overpriced at the moment on starcity, but he could find a nice niche place into standard. Think W/G with Ajani. You buff up an avenger for instance, have the yeva flash in a Silverheart, jump and double strike an avenger for ridculous damage. I feel that we will see a lot of changes to the meta with the upcoming set. [Report]
The bonuses you get from exaulted last till the end of the turn, so you cast disciple of bolas during your second main phase and sack the pumped up creature. [Report]
@PhoenixExcess: You attack, then use disciple of bolas. The creature you sac will still have all those +1/+1s attached to it, so you can still benefit from the use of it. Also, new Ajani will be thrown around in what seems currently every white deck that has creatures. You don't even need that one hit kill, you can put Ajani onto the field and him alone is enough to scare your opponent. Plus, he's only 3 mana, and that's just crazy. 3 mana, 4 loyalty counters, amazing abilities... now to the point of broken but he's definitely ready to destroy a few people. [Report]
@Darkclaw: I still have mixed feelings over him though. I can see where he would be used very well, but at the same time what do you take out for a three drop right now? In U/W delver you have geist or blade splice if you are playing geistless, and in Pod decks you have blade splicers and the pod itself. So do you really through Ajani in there to slow the deck down, or do you feel brand new decks will run around him? [Report]
As the guy who keeps making Burninator posts, I am very excited about Thundermaw. I mean... gawsh. Just gawsh. I'll run Infernal Plunge, MAYBE, just to get that mofo out quicker.
I'm glad they're reprinting Reverberate, but without Goblin Grenade I can't say I'm as tickled as I could be.
Goblin Arms Dealer will help fill that gap, but he's just not the same. Krenko is disappointing without Chieftan, and Fervor just doesn't have the same impact.
All in all, I have mixed feelings. However... between M13 and RtR... my Goblins are gonna wreck serious ass. After that, who knows? We'll see what RtR brings to the table.
While I really enjoy a ton what you have mentioned, you are underestimating a few cards, Ground Seal shuts down Snapcaster and unlike other gy hate options you can set it and forget it, will see play in every green deck's sideboard.
Omnicence is going to get somthing banned in sneak and show, while I would hope it's this card and NOT show and tell (I hate it when WoTC decides that a combo deck needs to be cut off at the source and just not the new abused).
I'm really hoping Sphinx of Uthunn gets more love in this standard, with Concencrated and titans falling out, maybe he could be a finisher in U/X control decks post rotate?
Also I think you should of mentioned Lightning Mauler over fevor in your Odric talk, still gives him haste, counts twoards his attacking number, good with other creatures besides Odric, Boros could be real big even in constructed if it gets more help in the mana department.
And despite a few really nice cards, Red really has gotten the shaft, especially no red lord, some really weak uncommons for limited (Torch fiend up to uncommon from common?! Are you kidding me? It was terrible in DKA/INN limited and they thing they needed a rarity upgrade for it!?) Strictly worse cards, Searing Spear (incinerate), Craterize (Demolish) to name a few. All of this would have been alright if Volcanic Fallout or Pyroclasm would've been reprinted but no, and now red will also be down a cheap sweeper (unless of course there is one in RTR).
Last thing, For black you forgot to mention a common that's bound to see play, Vile Rebirth, able to spot hose frites and other zombie decks at instant speed, AND puts a 2/2 zombie in that comes in UNTAPPED! Good deal! Also Shimian Specter seems pretty good to, memrociding (w/o naming needed) with each hit. [Report]
One of the interesting things about this block is that M12 and Scars don't rotate out until the NEXT block, so things that we're missing now may very well present themselves in RtR, and thus we'll never miss them, anyway.
I like Shimian Specter. The ability to Surgically Extract any nonland card in the opponent's hand when he hits is powerful, but it becomes even better when one takes into account the amount of Bounce Spells we can have: Disperse, Vapor Snag, Unsummon. Imagine getting rid of all your opponent's Titans in one hit. Or killing off that Elesh Norn you really wanted to play next turn. I can imagine a UB Specter deck with Unblockability, Discard and Talrand for blockers. [Report]
I was dissapointed at just how much people have mentioned the specter so thank you Subject 16. Of all the mentioned critters who are gonna see play with Ajani, this guys got real potential alone, give him doublestrike at the right moment and your opponent will be hard pressed to recover. As for Odric... I highly doubt he will ever see constructed play since he has no immediate presence and is mediocre at best on his own. You are correct about sublime angel but I will have to disagree about where her home should be. Most token decks would get more value out of attacking with all there creatures than to sit back and let the one go through. A white green creature ramp/gavony township deck however could max out its mana use and still be valid contributers to combat via the exalted. Add in the fact the colors give you access to rancoring your would be attacker and you have a solid base win con. Speaking of token decks... here is the likely home for the Disciple of Bolas. Between 8 crusades, Sorin emblems and the fact you are almost always going to be sacking something a token for at least 2 cards. Another couple black cards I think not getting any love are crippling blight(hi i kill 65% of the playing field and make everything else unable to block), vile rebirth(you lost 4 life to put vexing devil in my grave...ty:) Oh I also kick Frites in the nuts) and veilborn ghoul(There are a ton of draw/discard effects running around right now... nuff said).
I agree with most everything else you mentioned and enjoyed your thoughts. I look forward to seeing some of the worldfire decks out there and hope your plans work out. I have one ready for the next couple months and been playtesting it some. My recommendations would be to make sure its a deck that will win regardless of drawing/casting worldfire and to not expend too many resources/cardslots forcing it. If yould like a decklist feel free to hit me up.
Im a big fan of win conditions. I am very happy with many of the reprints in this set. Door to nothingness and stuffy doll have been some of my favorite cards ever printed. I built one deck already with both of these cards http://www.mtgdeckbuilder.net/Decks/ViewDeck/162566 Next im starting a deck built with a focus on stuffy doll. [Report]
I'm also the typical EDH player, so I'm happy to see Akroma's Memorial ans Planar Cleansing reprinted, I only has the one. The Legendary Cards are pretty powerful, save for Nefarox. I am also a fan of Fungal Sprouting, Healer of the Pride, Switcheroo,Vile Rebirth, Xathrid Gorgon, Magmaquake, Mindclaw Shaman, Bond Beetle, Mwovunli Beast Tracker and Sands of Delirium.
@Frobolo: Though what you say about Odric's board presence is true, (i mean, he's not Hero of Bladehold)his effect isn't exactly useless. To begin with, he makes everything unblockable, except with massive massive massive upside.
@Frobolo: Though what you say about Odric's board presence is true, (i mean, he's not Hero of Bladehold)his effect isn't exactly useless. To begin with, he makes everything unblockable, except with massive massive massive upside.
One guy I forgot that will help Odric become something useful more quickly is Lightning Mauler. A red white deck with those two can make for a 4th turn into a winning turn. If not the 4th turn, certainly the 5th turn would be the win if you can protect your guys.
I am sure there are more efficient ways to do get more damage that the above, but it is 13 total damage by turn 4, and who knows on turn 5. Add stuff like pillar of flame and what not to slow your opponent down, and while you may slow too, as long as you get some advantage out of the slowing, it is still a good deal. [Report]
There werent any cards to help my self mill deck though. Why didnt they make mind sculpt to be target player instead of opponent? http://www.mtgdeckbuilder.net/Decks/ViewDeck/170444 [Report]
