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[Lucario]

WHY

Are they really that content just destroying the game?

On the bright side: the mana cost is super restrictive, and I'm not seeing any new exciting auras in selesnya colors, so the hexproof deck is stuck in naya.

Also, Journey into Nyx as a whole is just crazy pushed. I haven't seen this many obvious playables in a set since RTR.

I'm disappointed that they're printing more cheap hexproof stuff, especially since the impact on casual games is arguably worse than the impact on standard could ever be, but I'm too hyped about the rest of the set to get mad about it right now

 

["God's Beard!"]

I've been testing Athreos decks recently and it's just so much fun. Necromancer, Athreos and VoR in the same deck against Esper is awesome and it's always down to the wire.

 

[The Technomancer]

Its a 2/1 with reach. The only way it gets scary is with Auras or Equipment and they've just finished printing like a half dozen answers to Auras and Equipment

 

[divisionbyzorro]

Just read the whole spoiler. The set looks really, really good. I'm super excited to play it.

 

[bigkrev]

Its a 2/1 with reach. The only way it gets scary is with Auras or Equipment and they've just finished printing like a half dozen answers to Auras and Equipment

1/1 for 1 is already broken though

 

[y2dvd]

Quick rundown of the set for cards with Standards potential.

White

• Reprisal maybe a sb card
• Skybind lets you target your own permanents. I'm trying to think. If you exile your own PW and it comes in at the beginning of the next end step, can you activate its abilities? If so, double the Jace usage!
• Tethmos High Priest could find a place in B/W aggro.
• Deicide will see play.
• Banishing Light is O-ring.
• Aegis of the Gods may see play,especially in hexproof decks. I can see it being useful against R/W burn decks. They will demand to be answered.
• Nyx-Fleece Ram could be mainboardable for control or to hold off until Archangel of Thrune.
• Launch the Fleet could be aggressive enough to go into aggro.
• Ajani's Presence could see sb play.
• Oppressive Rays could see play. It has the potential to stall for many turns.

Blue
Aerial Formation in U/x aggro. Give Master of Waves tokens flying can be scary.
Font of Fortunes: Not sure if you'd run this over Divination. You get a U devotion if it sticks around but you don't get to draw immediately. It could bait someone on using a card against it which could be beneficial.
Battlefield Thaumaturge could be a thing in U/x aggro.
Riptide Chimera could see play. Keep bounching cheap enchantment aura like Ethreal Armor, and then recast to continually trigger Heroic.
Hypnotic Siren could replace Judge's Familiar.

Black

• Feast of Dreams is sweet flavor wise.
• Master of the Feast seems like a big trap right now.
• Silence the Believers could go in Esper control.
• Gnarled Scarhide should fit right in B/x aggro.
• Brain Maggot: I think the way to look at this card is being like a psuedo D-Shere/O-Ring. It still lets you get perfect information to their hands too.

Red

• Magma Spray: Pillar of Flames' cousin. Bye bye Chandra's Phoenix. It hurts Tethmos High Priest and graveyard decks a little.
• Harness by Force is sideboardable imo. My burn deck had already sideboarded an Act of Treason mainly for R/G Monsters decks. This is strictly an upgrade.
• Prophetic Flamespeaker: I'm still not sold on this card. You got to pump it up to do any work of dmg, leaving yourself to get 2 for 1.
• Eidolon of the Great Revel: I just don't think R/W burn wants this. Could be great in other formats or builds.

Green

• Bassara Tower Archer: I just like seeing everyone's reactions to another hexproof creature lol.
• Consign to Dust: Don't think it will see play over Unravel the Aether.
• Setessan Tatics doesn't have a place in R/G Monsters, but maybe another shell.

Artifacts

• Chariot of Victory could be playable as a one of. 3 to cast is whatever but 1 to equip to get first strike, trample, and haste is pretty beastly.
• Godsend is not worth it on the other hand lol.

PW

• Ajani aint worth it

Multicolor

• Arthreos is the best god from Journey. Aggressively costed and the ability is relevant.
• Keranos is pretty neat too. Card engine or free Lightning Bolt is pretty nice.
• Pharika is trash in the graveyard deck and needs to be in another shell.
• Iroas is sick imo. Xmas hands will end games quickly.
• Kruphix: Meh. Why is the text so confusing?!
• Nyx Weaver can find a home in graveyard decks.

 

[Firemind]

Coupled with Armadillo Cloak, RDW might as well scoop. :lol

 

[Exokell]

Hexproof decks basically have a creature in every cmc. Basically its gonna be a tier 1 deck in standard now.

 

[ultron87]

Hall of Triumph could be good in Weenie decks so that you can actually have a second pump effect on the field along with Spear of Heliod.

 

["God's Beard!"]

So if you cast Far // Away as a fused card and target something with far that becomes illegal, does the whole spell get countered?

I know normally the effects of a card that still work resolve, but I'm not sure since it's a split card and Far resolves first.

 

[ultron87]

The Away half will still happen, since it still has a legal target. Fused cards resolve as if they were one big spell with all the text.

 

["God's Beard!"]

Yeah, JOU looks way better, I'm pretty excited.

The Away half will still happen, since it still has a legal target. Fused cards resolve as if they were one big spell with all the text.

Cool, just making sure.

 

[bigkrev]

I was listening to Top8Magic this week, and for some reason, they really did sell me on a RUB control deck using Worst Fears and Auger of Bones. I'm probably going to try and throw that together and see if it works- Mindslaving someone is pretty insane.

 

[Yeef]

That's one of those rules that just doesn't seem to vibe with how the rest of the game is played. The card says "take artifact." Oh, but not that artifact because reasons.

Bah.

On another note, has green ever had destroy land as part of its color pie?

It doesn't say "take artifact" it says gain control of it. It's changing control doesn't detach it from the creature; you have to equip it to something else to do that. It's the same way that, if you gain control of an aura enchanting something, it doesn't change what it's enchanting.

 

[Angry Grimace]

WHY

Are they really that content just destroying the game?

I fee like an Archer should have First Strike, not Hexproof. Color pie, I know.

Quick rundown of the set for cards with Standards potential.

:words:

You can't activate PW abilities during your end step.

Agree on Flamespeaker. I think he's a trap-mythic because he's deceptively expensive. I think he fits more as a finisher in a long game rather than as an aggro piece. Also, nothing happens if your Flamespeaker gets Doom Bladed.

 

["God's Beard!"]

I fee like an Archer should have First Strike, not Hexproof. Color pie, I know.



You can't activate PW abilities during your end step.

Agree on Flamespeaker. I think he's a trap-mythic because he's deceptively expensive. I think he fits more as a finisher in a long game rather than as an aggro piece. Also, nothing happens if your Flamespeaker gets Doom Bladed.

He has reach because he's an archer and hexproof because he's hiding in the bushes.

 

[Firemind]

Haha, so I was wrong. U/R uncommon is a chimera that dies to removal. Of course.

 

["God's Beard!"]

Font of Fortunes: Not sure if you'd run this over Divination. You get a U devotion if it sticks around but you don't get to draw immediately. It could bait someone on using a card against it which could be beneficial

It's better than Divination because you can play it on turn two then hold up Dissolve on turn three.

 

[kirblar]

Haha, so I was wrong. U/R uncommon is a chimera that dies to removal. Of course.

If you want people to stop playing all-spell U/R decks, you might want to give them good permanents. Just saying.

 

[Firemind]

If you want people to stop playing all-spell U/R decks, you might want to give them good permanents. Just saying.

Exactly!

 

["God's Beard!"]

I like hexproof.

 

[Angry Grimace]

[QUOTE="God's Beard!";108652590]I like hexproof.[/QUOTE]

I don't like Hexproof as a permanent mechanic on normal creatures, e.g. Witchstalker. I like the way it works on Prognostic Sphinx, Reaper of the Wilds and Sylvan Caryatid, though.

It just comes off as a cheap way to give creatures value in a removal heavy environment. I'm not really sure of an alternative though, beyond giving everything ETB abilities.

 

[Angry Grimace]

Haha, so I was wrong. U/R uncommon is a chimera that dies to removal. Of course.

Actually, despite the type, this is a Gryphon with a random cow's head coming out of its side.

 

[Firemind]

And I thought Spellbound Dragon was terrible!

 

[ultron87]

I still want to make a Spellheart Chimera deck work, but it'll sadly never be as good as Runechanter's Pike.

 

[Angry Grimace]

I feel like there's gotta be a way I can do something fun with Doomwake Giant and Herald of Torment. He's a pretty expensive drop, but his Constellation trigger could wipe people out. At the very least I'll side board him against decks playing Elspeth.

 

[Lucario]

Prediction: there is going to be a Kruphix's Insight deck in the next year.

 

[Karakand]

I fee like an Archer should have First Strike, not Hexproof. Color pie, I know.

There's always "tap to deal X damage to attacking / blocking creature" (e.g. Femeref Archers) but apparently direct damage tap abilities on creatures belongs in red and white instead of red and green even though green has a third grade mechanic like fighting and is an allied color of red?

[QUOTE="God's Beard!";108652590]I like hexproof.[/QUOTE]

Shroud is better since it's something you have to actually think about as the creature's controller + doesn't reek of "NO ANTI-FUN ALLOWED FOR THE END USER" design, but I don't mind it on weenies and will go out of my way to play with creatures that have it to be annoying.

 

[OnPoint]

Read the name. Thought this.

 

[The Adder]

How balanced/broken would a cycle of lands that read:

[Land Name] enters the battlefield tapped.

Tap: Add [2 of mana color this land produces] to mana pool. [Land Name] does not untap on controller's next untap step

[Land Name] cannot be untapped by spells or abilities.

 

[kirblar]

How balanced/broken would a cycle of lands that read:

[Land Name] enters the battlefield tapped.

Tap: Add [2 of mana color this land produces] to mana pool. [Land Name] does not untap on controller's next untap step

[Land Name] cannot be untapped by spells or abilities.

They'd be quite obnoxious to actually play with. Probably somewhat balanced, considering what they are.

 

[Haly]

Prediction: there is going to be a Kruphix's Insight deck in the next year.

GW or UG or Bant?

 

[Angry Grimace]

Sounds vaguely like those Fallen Empires sac lands.

(Every time I think about Fallen Empires I laugh about hilariously broken Hymn to Tourach is and how annoying it was as an opponent)

 

[The Adder]

They'd be quite obnoxious to actually play with. Probably somewhat balanced, considering what they are.

Does letting them enter untapped break them?

 

[kirblar]

Does letting them enter untapped break them?

Yes.

 

[Haly]

What happens if you let lands like those come into play untapped:

 

[Angry Grimace]

What happens if you let lands like those come into play untapped:

Reminds me of :

I like how taking 3 or 4 damage was supposed to be enough of a drawback. I have no clue how the hell that card actually made it to Revised.

 

[Haly]

+3/+3 is equal to 3 cards right?

Right???

 

[Angry Grimace]

+3/+3 is equal to 3 cards right?

Right???

At least giant growth is playable in certain circumstances. The white equivalent to Ancestral Recall was fucking Healing Salve.

 

[bigkrev]

At least giant growth is playable in certain circumstances. The white equivalent to Ancestral Recall was fucking Healing Salve.

Not sure if it's true now, but new players treat there life total like their children- chomping a 3/3 with a 2/2 at 18 life, loving life gain, ect

 

[Angry Grimace]

Not sure if it's true now, but new players treat there life total like their children- chomping a 3/3 with a 2/2 at 18 life, loving life gain, ect

Yes, they still do that.

I do find that life gain is usually underestimated even when its actually good, like when people thought Sphinx's Revelation was mediocre because "lol life gain." Its just bad when its life gain and nothing else.

 

[The Technomancer]

Yes, they still do that.

I do find that life gain is usually underestimated even when its actually good, like when people thought Sphinx's Revelation was mediocre because "lol life gain." Its just bad when its life gain and nothing else.

Yeah life gain as a rider is quite powerful.

 

[kirblar]

Yeah life gain as a rider is quite powerful.

Lifelink historically has often been a massive problem because of how undervalued it was by developers. Thragtusk's a more recent example of it just screwing up formats.

 

[Angry Grimace]

Lifelink historically has often been a massive problem because of how undervalued it was by developers. Thragtusk's a more recent example of it just screwing up formats.

That tends to be why I run Whip of Erebos at the least in the sideboard even if I never actually activate its tap effect. Bombing someone for 6 and gaining 6 life is almost never irrelevant, especially with the number of mechanics that ask you to pay life for them.

 

[Karakand]

I do find that life gain is usually underestimated even when its actually good, like when people thought Sphinx's Revelation was mediocre because "lol life gain." Its just bad when its life gain and nothing else.

Renewed Faith was good

Spoiler

in 3 decks

, idk how you could think that card was mediocre.

 

[MjFrancis]

Hidden in the Conspiracy announcement page with the Konami code apparently.

 

[blindrocket]

Three mana.

Niiiiiice.

 

[Firemind]

w/e

notify me when niv-mizzet is a pw

 

[OnPoint]

w/e

notify me when niv-mizzet is a pw

Don't be salty. Dack is better than his name, that's for sure. Plus, that's two UR PW so you'll be waiting some time I think.

The only other two color PW combinations that have more than one are... RG (with three), GB (with two if you count Garruk) and UB (with two). I think the other combinations deserve a bit more love before Niv gets the chance to walk, if he ever does.

 

[Hero]

Haha holy shit, 3CMC was right. God damn.