Summer Promos

Hello, everyone, and happy Tuesday!

Hopefully, for those so inclined, you were able to F5 your way to a leftover San Diego Comic-Con promo on Hasbro's website. It's that and the yet-unreleased From the Vaults: Lore that I'd like to talk about today, so let's get right to it!


SDCC 2016

For the fourth straight year, Hasbro has produced an exclusive set of planeswalkers available for purchase by Comic-Con attendees (holding a few back for us peons that can't attend in person, for sale at a later date some time after the convention). The last three years, while we've had a core set, we've seen the black-on-black foil sets. Players had a fair number of criticisms about these, the most significant being that they're difficult to read under certain lighting conditions and that they're so exclusive that some of them wind up being beyond the financial means of some Magic players.

This year, Hasbro has addressed these two concerns in particular. While I feel that addressed them mostly to collect hundred-dollar bills from players themselves than to allow resellers to collect larger sums while preying upon those that can't attend, we can't deny that the new sets are at least more abundant than in prior years. A slightly wider availability (created by printing more sets) solved the problem of relative scarcity. Additionally, rather than print them in the traditional black-on-black, WotC had artist Eric DesChamps create a panoramic art of zombie planeswalkers from over the last few sets.

While I feel that Wizards missed the boat, so to speak, on the "zombie craze" of some five years ago (World War Z, The Walking Dead, Zombieland, etc.), the art is thematically appropriate to the current block, and offers up an interesting "what if." What if Liliana turned on her new comrades, or had simply allowed them to die? What does this mean? Can undead hold a planeswalker spark after all? What does this mean for Venser on New Phyrexia? So many questions! What are Liliana's intentions?

The main let down would be the "From the Vaults" foiling process. While the set's specific process differs from FTV in a few small ways (there's an emphasis on certain details, for example, rather than the entire surface of the card being a rainbow mess), and it doesn't hamper the legibility of the card in the way the SDCC foiling process of the past has, I feel that either a nonfoil set (gasp!) or a more traditional foiling process would have better served the process.

That art, tho.

From left: Gideon, Ally of Zendikar; Jace, Unraveler of Secrets; Liliana, the Last Hope; Chandra, Flamecaller; Nissa, Voice of Zendikar

From the Vaults: Lore

This set is a high point in the series, for me. A number of Commander playables, and overall, pretty solid lore-related choices, for the Vorthos folks in the crowd.

At a glance, it appears that from Urza's block onward, we get one card per block, up to the original Innistrad. For some choices, Wizards seemed to take a more holistic approach to the block than print strictly key moments and figures from the story, as with Phyrexian Processor. That was the goal of Phyrexia, but they implied the evil nature of Yawgmoth through the choice of this artifact rather than
something more specific, like, say Attrition or Defense of the Heart. I can get behind the choice, as the card is mechanically a flavour home run, and is a pretty good Commander card. Same with Tolaria West; it was never visited in the story, but it helped to demonstrate the lasting impact of the Phyrexian Invasion. Likewise with Beseech the Queen. Oona herself already saw print in a From the Vaults (Legends), but this card in particular helps us gain the sense that she's this all-powerful being that people pray to and call upon for aid. Near-Death Experience sums up Zendikar nicely, in one neat phrase. Cabal Ritual, similar to Phyrexian Processor, illustrates the evil of the block's "big bad" in a similar fashion, by illustrating the casual evil the Cabal is capable of. Mind's Desire shows us the power of the Mirari, capable of both granting wishes and ruining lives, in about equal measure.

Then there were a few that illustrate key moments. Obliterate, with its correct flavour text restored, makes an appearance, illustrating Barrin's destruction of Tolaria to prevent it from falling into Phyrexian hands after the death of his wife and daughter. Unmask is Volrath being found out as he shapeshifts into Takara. Conflux represents Bolas gaining back a huge portion of his power as Alara recombines into one world from five.

The last six cards are evenly split between people and places/things. Memnarch demonstrates the power of the original Mirrodin block. Glissa in her tragic state, shows us the influence of Phyrexia, having undergone a transformation from heroine to monster while she slumbered in Mirrodin's core. Among the people, Momir Vig is the odd pick here. Why him? He's powerful, and was involved in the last book, Dissension, as the primary antagonist. But why him over Agrus Kos, the hero of the block? Kos isn't terribly appealing, true, but Momir Vig remains a "miss" for me, personally. The guy didn't do anything for me, and each novel in the trilogy dealt with some doomsday or another, so by the time Vig got his turn, people were like, "...meh?"

And now, we get to meat of the financial value of the box (read: the reason you likely won't find this for MSRP). Apart from the Helvault, the bulk of the reason things went sideways on Innistrad, we have two high-value cards (and a bonus foil Token!). Umezawa's Jitte might not tell much of Kamigawa's story, but this magical weapon, serving as an instrument of focus for the block protagonist, Toshiro Umezawa, is one of a few factors that brings us to modern Magic lore as we know it. Boom. Toshiro is the ancestor of Tetsuo (printed in Legends), the man who defeated Nicol Bolas, trapping him for centuries. Upon his release by Venser of Urborg, Bolas has had a claw in every major scheme to date, it seems. Thanks, Toshi, for pissing of the Myojin of Night's Reach and dooming us all to eternal torment.

I thought I'd save the very best for the very last.

Dark. Depths.

I love this card.

It makes it into the set representing Coldsnap (and by extension, Ice Age block), which it does in no way whatsoever. We were deliberately left in the dark (heh) about who or what Marit Lage was exactly, why she/it/whatever was imprisoned, or even where the specific place of her burial is (apart from "on Dominaria"). So we know that Marit Lage is worshipped (by examining cards like Wrath of Marit Lage), that it's very powerful, and that it's frozen. In this magic ice.

For some reason.

This mystery has captivated players and sparked much discussion. With Thing in the Ice in Shadows over Innistrad, people were left wondering if Marit Lage was who Nahiri was calling. No one knew, and to this day, no one does.

The new token's flavour text (<3) seems to suggest that Marit Lage is Dominaria's (Magic's?) Cthulu.

Interesting.

So, on the whole, these are fine choices for this From the Vaults. Momir Vig was a miss for me, but he's a fun Commander (RIP Prophet of Kruphix) whose foil price was getting a bit high. So, maybe I can give him a pass here. Lots of Commander playables (and a couple playbles in Legacy!), and if you can find it for MSRP, I'd give it serious consideration.


SDC-See You Later! ...Oh, Lore'd


That's all from me, let me know if you've got questions or suggestions! See you next week!

Shadows over Innistrad...

...which can make it difficult to read a sundial, apparently, as I appear to be some four months late on this one.

Hi, team! Welcome back!

It's been an interesting couple months, and I'm pleased to report that I'm now a Level One Judge! Woo!

*crickets*

Moving on, then. Not a huge update today, in part because I feel there aren't that many playables and that the set's been out long enough that people either know this very fact or have their own ideas. Either way, let me know!

Let's get to investigating the set!


White

Archangel Avacyn

I... guess it's a form of salvation? Burninating the peasants?

She's not the OG in terms of power level (or CMC, to be fair), but this incarnation is MUCH improved over the oft-forgotten second incarnation of Avacyn. I don't know if she's the ideal RW Commander (or if there even is one; RW is not very strong in the format), but she makes for a decent combat trick, and if your plan is to transform her, it is astonishingly easy to kill off a non-Angel in this format, especially given that there's no "non-token" clause. Skullclamp a token to wrath (ideally) at the next upkeep? Could be good, especially if you're behind anyway, but is the payoff worth it?

I'd probably wait until her pricetag from Standard drops a little if you're looking to brew with her.


Declaration in Stone

Sorin is displeased with the migrant stonemason. Most displeased.
He vows to Make Innistrad Great Again!

Ignore the "same name" clause. This is two mana removal, straight up. To exile. The drawback? They get an artifact they can crack to draw a card. Yes, if metalcraft is their plan, it seems bad. But, factor in the Maelstrom Pulse-esque utility against tokens, and you begin to see the appeal. This card seems great, though offering them conditional card draw might be too high a price to pay.


Blue

Jace, Unraveler of Secrets

Not pictured: Scooby Doo; the gang

Another Jace. :-/

For five mana, I think we can argue that this Jace isn't a bad deal. Big starting loyalty, draws cards, removes a threat/protects himself/ and then a big, splashy ability that should (kind of?) end the game. He joins the ranks of other "formulaic" planeswalkers, including Ob Nixilis Reignited and Sarkhan Unbroken (+X, draw, -X, removal, -BigX: flavour text). He's fine, but not something I'd work hard to make room for. Redundancy is great in a singleton format, but Jace, UoS doesn't do anything new or different. I've passed on him so far, but if you've had a different experience, let me know!


Black

Ever After

So much for "'til death do us part."



Well, it's an interesting take on Rise from the Grave. You only get access to your own graveyard, and you don't get to abuse this from your graveyard, but it remains decent card advantage in decks that want it.

Westvale Abbey/Ormendahl, Profane Prince

Not pictured: A raspberry beret; a red corvette

Lands that make tokens play an important role in Commander.

Kher Keep, Vitu Ghazi, and Urza's Factory all see some play, for their ability to produce a blocker (at instant speed, should it matter) without costing you a spell (or a card). This is especially important when you get precisely 99 cards to achieve your end (usually, this is "win" or "defeat your opponents"). In a dedicated token deck (Ghave, perhaps most notably, given that GW are the best token colours in general, and that black is required to play this card), the third ability becomes very attainable, especially given that Westvale Abbey doesn't even enter tapped. Ormendahl is vulnerable to exile, sure, but transforming Westvale Abbey into our demonic friend in response to a Wrath leaves you with a very tough blocker, one that should be able to help you close out a close game.

And all it requires is a commitment to playing black and an ability to get five creatures into play. A remarkably solid card.


Red

Nothing! Nothing from among Shadows' mono-red cards stood out to me for this review.


Green

Tireless Tracker

The astute reader will notice there are indeed zero tires in this picture.

I love cards that do weird things.

We've got a green card that that can turn on metalcraft by simply playing lands. It's crazy, but it's a very cool take on an often overlooked facet of green mana as a whole. Green is all about the natural order, so when things go sideways, as they've done in this block, Green and Blue become your investigate colours, out of an investigative tendency and a desire to put right what been wronged (from a natural perspective). On top of a really cool flavour interaction, I love being rewarded for things I want to be doing anyway. By playing lands, I get to bank artifacts that I can use to draw cards, or turn on Metalcraft, or win with Hellkite Tyrant (and Scapeshift!). Given the tendency of Green decks to ramp to some degree, I imagine we'll be seeing this guy a lot. Really cool card; one of my favourites, for sure.


Ulvenwald Hydra

Sheldon Menery is what this thing is running from.

Damn, do I ever miss Primeval Titan.

And Sylvan Primordial.

Our new Big Green Beater that grabs a land can at least fetch any land, which is a big plus. Factor in the usual flickering that makes its way into decks that want these guys anyway, and you've got a stew going.

That said, Reach is fine, but it's no Trample. It usually feels pretty bad to have your huge Hydra chumped every time, though I guess you can at least argue that a must-block creature keeps the pressure on.

Here's hoping he doesn't get banned! (I'm joking... but just barely).


Seasons Past

Firmly planted in the past.

In terms of cards that are "legal" in Commander, there are cards of every CMC from 0 to 16 (though there is only one at CMC 14, and one at CMC 16). This means that for six mana, you could theoretically return seventeen cards to your hand for six  mana. More realistically, you're getting between two and five cards back for your six mana, depending on when you draw it, how much graveyard hate exists in your meta, and the tendency of people to play more than a couple cards at each CMC. The effect does seem to scale nicely to Commander, given the sheer number of cards available and the length of a given game. Is this right for everyone? No. But it is worth trying out if you're the kind of person that enjoys Regrowth effects.


Multicoloured

Arlinn Kord // Arlinn, Embraced by the Moon

Arlinn is a weird card to evaluate.

She's noteworthy in that while she isn't the first planeswalker we've seen with five abilities in total, she IS the first that has reasonable access to all five of those abilities. And those abilities are worthwhile individually, and can play roles in a variety of strategies.

Her +1 helps decks that like to "go tall," or put the resources into one creature (often their Commander) and win that way. She passes the "Elspeth test," as LSV pointed out when he revealed Arlinn prior to the set's release, in that she can protect herself. She helps players "go wide," with her transformed side's +1. Trample and +1/+1 for your team turns a few humble tokens into a fighting force. And bolting people/utility creatures is always welcome, even if it causes her to transform into her less potent side. You can mitigate that with The Chain Veil, as well as Rings of Brighthearth (copying the ability causes her to transform twice). Her "ultimate" is cool, opening up another way to pull off the win. With some way to give your team vigilance, it's effectively haste and double strike, with the added bonus of playing around Moat to push damage through.

So, she's a veritable Swiss Army Knife (in a creature deck), has a very reasonable CMC, and looks like Sigourney Weaver. A homerun on all fronts. The issue for me, I think, is that I don't know how strong she'll be in a dedicated planeswalker deck (like mine). Many of the others make tokens, which is a mostly good fit for her transformed side, and her +1 on the "Arlinn Kord" side is pretty good with my Commander (Sliver Queen, because I'm a walking cliché), I guess. Protecting herself is often very relevant, and I seldom care about "ultimates" anyway. Just feels off, I suppose, even though she's a lot like Garruk Wildspeaker, who I'm already running.


Nahiri, the Harbinger

Cool chicks don't look at explosions.

Here we see a different approach to vengeance. Take note, Taylor Swift.

Nahiri's an odd card to evaluate, and I think I've figured out why.

The last RW planeswalkers was Ajani Vengeant. Ajani bothered me because he had only one ability that was unequivocally RW, in his -2, a Lightning Helix. His first ability was certainly not red, but not wholly white, and his -7 was kind of white and kind of red. Thematically, the abilities were on point, as he defeated Nicol Bolas in the novel by basically aiming his -7 at the Elder Dragon. So Ajani's abilities are in line with his character, but not quite in line with the abilities associated with the colours, though they are probably the best fit.

I think Nahiri bothers me in the same way. The +2 option to "rummage," to potentially discard to draw feels very red, and thematically represents the "madness" associated with her character on Innistrad. Her -2  removing enchantments without restriction and exiling creatures with their guard down or active artifacts seems to be on point, and exiling tapped permanents (especially artifacts and enchantments) is very white. Tutoring up a creature is usually a green ability, though both red and white care about artifacts. So, as with Ajani, there's a slight disconnect between her abilities and her colours, which has a slightly jarring effect.

Is she worth playing in Commander? I'd say so. I got burned badly when I cast Moat to stabilize and my wife cast Nahiri and ruined my day. Mirari's Wake, Mana Reflection, Rhystic Study... none of those are safe with Nahiri around, and in a deck like Mayael (which my wife was playing), there's always a big creature for her to grab with Nahiri's (surprisingly attainable) -8. Her +2 can feel bad, but it's two loyalty that doesn't HAVE to cost you a card. If you happen to have a card with Madness, the discard becomes a boon instead of a hindrance. Likewise with the original Ulamog/Kozilek, or if you have a reanimation-based gameplan. For four mana, she's not bad.


The Gitrog Monster

If it makes you hoppy, it can't be that bad.

The Gitrog Monster offers a pretty significant reward for playing fetchlands, or playing Titania, Protector of Argoth alongside him. He's efficiently costed, in great Commander colours, and is a goddamn Frog Horror. What more could you want?


The deathtouch is redundant on such a big creature, sure, and one day his upkeep trigger will hurt and hurt badly, but he makes for a fun card that's already seeing play. He's great alongside Titania, Crucible of Worlds, Life from the Loam, even Omnath, Locus of Rage. The Magic Story about him was great, too (LINK). Check it out, and then tell me a mysterious voice isn't telling you to build the deck...


Sorin, Grim Nemesis

His head is closer than the tip of his sword, creating a confusing perspective. Wat.

If Sorin had a motorcycle, he could be on the cover of a Meat Loaf album.

Jokes aside (though I like Meat Loaf), people shit on artist Eric Deschamps hard for this piece. It was "too generic," or it "didn't look like Sorin," or "this art is garbage!" In reality, it is something of a minimalist piece. The colour palette is dreary, but what the hell do you expect? It's the gothic horror plane! Mechanically, the art is fine. Look up higher resolution versions; you'll see that the art is actually quite well done: it looks just like a pissed-off Sorin. It simply didn't scale down as well as the art for other cards. There are nuances of his expression that are small enough that they can't be seen. Similarly, look up Steve Argyle's art for Liliana of the Veil. There are two versions: one with an ornate, elaborate necklace, and one without. The version without was used for the card, as small details don't scale down very well. So the criticism was largely unwarranted; Deschamps has done brilliant work on planeswalkers in the past.

As for the card, Sorin offers a lot of durability for six mana. Coming in with six loyalty and either killing off a creature (or planeswalker) and gaining some life or causing a bunch of life loss (and ticking up to seven loyalty), Sorin's no slouch. Due to the flexibility of his -X, I expect I won't even use his -9, but that's to be expected. For purists that prefer to only run one card for each planeswalker character in a deck, I don't know if Grim Nemesis is a worthy replacement for Sorin Markov, whose -3 should put you in a position to win, but for those without such restrictions, I'd suggest giving the new guy a try.


Anguished Unmaking

"Go to your ROOM!" Sorin cried.
Jace and Tamiyo exchanged uncomfortable glances. Awkward.

There's not much more that a hack like me can say about an instant-speed almost-Vindicate with a negligible (in Commander) drawback. Not every deck devotes a ton of room to removal, but this one might be worth thinking about. Just a little quicker than Utter End, too (and Tarkir wasn't even that long ago!).


Sigarda, Heron's Grace

A scythe for sore eyes. 

Sigarda! You've... changed.

For the same CMC as the original (and best), we get a different take on Sigarda, who remains a flavour homerun. She's not quite as effective a fighter, but works hard to protect you and the humans you control, while curing your "delirium." Interestingly, old Sigarda protected you from the worst of old Emrakul's assault, while new Sigarda protects you from the worst of new Emrakul, preventing you from being controlled by an otherworldly, corpulent monster (and that's just your opponent!). I jest. That said, this version of Innistrad's new favourite archangel might not have the same general purpose clout of the original, you shouldn't discount modern sources of player hexproof, nor her potential in a token build (though be warned; it does say your graveyard).


Sunset

That wraps up our quick look at Shadows over Innsmouth Innistrad! I hope you enjoyed tuning in, and if you're got feedback, please let me know in the comments!

Until next time, know that Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Emrakul Moon wgah'nagl fhtagn.

Providence

Hey, everyone! Welcome back!  So, let's address the elephant in the room (spoiler: not me). I've been dark since midwinter, and a LOT of Magic-related stuff has happened in the interim. Shadows Over Innistrad, Eternal Masters, Eldritch Moon, Comic-Con... that's a lot of ground to cover. So, let's get started on Eldritch Moon, and we'll work our way backward in the coming weeks.

White

Bruna, the Fading Light/Gisela, the Broken Blade (and Brisela, Voice of Nightmares)

"Wonder twin powers activate! Form of... an unholy abomination!

Well, this is new.  Neither Bruna nor Gisela are outstanding cards on their own, in Commander. If you were to build a deck around them, you'd probably want to build around Bruna, to abuse that cast trigger (note not cast from hand). Both have fairly unimpressive stats, even if they're "efficient" creatures.

Even with their powers combined, Brisela, a 9/10 with an impressive suite of abilities, is very vulnerable to removal. While "dies to removal" is a shitty argument when it comes to evaluating a creature card, we do have to consider that this "combo" is seven mana (at best, if you built around Bruna, which is more reliable than a Breath of Life) and two cards. Mono-white isn't strong on the whole tutoring-up-a-creature front (although improved, as we'll see, by Thalia's Lancers), so getting to seven mana, AND getting both creatures onto the battlefield, AND waiting until an end step, AND untapping with your creature still alive?

See what I'm getting at?

"But Commander," you ask, "she shuts down kill spells that cost three or less! That's all of the good ones!"

Sure, yeah. All of the good targeted ones. If an opponent won't risk the collateral damage to their board state to Wrath your 9/10 beater, then you deserve the win. She's good, in a vacuum, but after all that setup, she should be a bit more...

Inevitable?


Thalia's Lancers

Cavalry: finding legends since... now?

Yeah, it's five mana. In a colour that doesn't ramp that hard sometimes. And sure, why would cavalry be adept at finding a particular legendary thing?

But why are you looking a gift horse in the mouth??

Not only is it relatively cheap, but it offers unique utility in a colour that doesn't get it. Need a Jitte? Done. Your Nykthos? Sure. Serra's Sanctum? You got it.

On top of this, it's not even white-intensive enough to restrict its use to mono-white decks. Run it as a backup Sisay! Run it to grab Oaths, Akroma's Memorial, Legacy Weapon!

I see this being used extensively, and for a long, long time.


Deploy the Gatewatch

Apparently, the cover of the Gatewatch's first metal album.

I remain delighted that this card even exists.

I run a planeswalker deck, and this card went in before I'd finished reading it. In a deck with a decent number of planeswalkers (I run 30, and haven't whiffed yet, though I have only hit one a couple times) you won't often miss. Depending on who you get, it pays for itself. While putting the cards on the bottom of your library is arguably a drawback, White doesn't really do the self-mill thing anyway, so it's not like it defies expectations.


Sigarda's Aid

"Halt," Sigarda said, "Hammerzeit."

Damn. And Sigarda said unto Voltron, "Bust a fool's head. For great justice."

It's cheap, plays a role, and negates the drawback of certain pieces of equipment, the high equip cost. Auras that provide shroud/hexproof help against removal, and the art is just fantastic on top of everything else this card has going for it.


Blue

Imprisoned in the Moon

Surely this won't end badly.

Now Zur can stuff people into the moon!

So, this isn't quite as versatile as Song of the Dryads, due to its limitations. Functionally, it does the same thing, if enchanting something in a non-green deck, and for the same CMC. Like Song of the Dryads, it helps keep problematic Commanders on the battlefield while limiting their impact on a given game. This is arguably the best kind of removal for the late game, as certain Commanders especially become easy to recast over and over, tax be damned. If left on the battlefield with no abilities beyond tapping for mana, you've neatly solved the problem. Cards like this shouldn't be ignored when considering cards for a Commander deck (like Zur, who gets around paying for things like this anyway) given their versatility and unique way of dealing with threats.


Black

Dark Salvation

Let the bodies hit the... FLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOR.

It's expensive, but this is a card that needs to be evaluated as a complete package.

If you want five Zombies, this will cost you eleven mana. Not impossible in Commander, and with black decks (especially mono-black decks) having Cabal Coffers, Magus if the Coffers, and the tutors to find them, eleven mana is attainable. On top of this, you give target creature -5/-5, at a minimum, and that's only if you control those 5 Zombies on their own.

So, it is expensive, but you get value out of it for your mana, and it scales decently well to the late game. It's a roundabout way to deal with an enemy Avacyn, Angel of Hope while leaving you a small army of Zombies, drawing a strange parallel to Martial Coup. Could be worth running, if you like the effect.


Liliana, the Last Hope

"Where my hug at?"

Liliana is tough to evaluate.

Three mana planeswalkers tend to be very good in the smaller constructed formats, due to coming down early, and offering, well, anything above and beyond the crap Tibalt brings to the table. Jace Beleren saw play (as a counter to JtMS at the time), Liliana of the Veil sees play in Modern and Legacy, and Nissa, Voice of Zendikar... well, see doesn't have a home yet, but maybe in Standard, post rotation? Anyway, the point I'm making is that they tend to be pretty strong.

In Commander, however, they tend to make less of an impact. Jace Beleren is a more vulernable Phyrexian Arena. Liliana of the Veil is a three mana removal spell that kills one opponent's weakest creature, minimizing her value in the late game. Her mass-discard could be useful in the right deck, but will attract you a lot of ire for an uncertain payoff.

Liliana, the Last Hope offers minimal protection in her +1, conditional card advantage for her -2, and an admittedly very cool -7. I make a point of evaluating every planeswalker that comes out, but in the case of Liliana here, I don't know that I can recommend her for Commander. She just doesn't do enough of the things you need a planeswalker to do. At three mana, she's fine, and she does kill off certain high-value targets (Bloom Tender, some problematic goblins, Birds, that sort of thing). So... call her a metagame call?


Oath of Liliana

"Talk to the hand!"

Three mana to get rid of each opponent's weakest creature is already a decent deal, in the right context, and on top of that, each subsequent planeswalker you play gets a free activation of Gideon, Ally of Zendikar's 0 ability (basically). It offers up an opportunity to play those sweet foil Zombie tokens from the EMN prerelease, so there's that.

Honestly, of the five planeswalker oaths, this one's somewhere in the middle of the pack. It doesn't have the same draw, for me, as Oath of Gideon (with its tokens and extra loyalty) or Oath of Nissa, with its fixing in the deck that wants it. But removal of X creatures, where X is the number of opponents? Not bad. I might give this a try.


Tree of Perdition

"You guys wanna hang out?"

I know.

I know.

But having an opponent lose up to 27 life for 4 mana.... Come on. You know you want to try it.


Red

Blood Mist

"Get it? I'm seeing red! Haha, I slay myself... if you have first strike."

I like this idea, actually. Offers the benefits of an aura, but not tied to a specific creature in the event of its death. It's a bit costly, at four mana, especially given that True Conviction is only two more mana and offers double strike and lifelink to your whole team, but it's a useful enough effect in the decks that want it that it could be worth it.


Collective Defiance

Fire at will!

Five mana to draw a new hand (or negate someone's tutor by forcing them to discard their hand and draw a new one), deal 4 damage to a creature, and bolt a player? And that's at its most expensive? Like the Command cycle in Lorwyn, this is flexible enough and offers up enough utility that this should always have some use. I'd consider this in a red deck, or a red-white deck, for sure, given that both colours are starved for card draw.


Green

Eldritch Evolution

Creationists gonna be pissed...

We've got a one-shot super Birthing Pod, for three mana. Even conditional tutors, like this one, help to enable toolbox decks so popular in this format. If you're running the usual green tutor package (Worldy Tutor, Birthing Pod, Primal Command, that sort of thing), you might as well run this, too.


Ishkanah, Grafwidow

Look what I found on the web!

Well, would you look at that. A mythic, legendary Spider. For its cost, and given that it has reach and not trample, and that it needs a lot of spiders for its activated ability to be useful, I really don't think it's ETB ability needed to be conditional. In a green-black deck, it's not like you can bounce it a bunch of times anyway, and many of the spiders that exist in the game are pretty average. At best.

For those that want to build the deck, your time has come! Otherwise, there are so, so many other, better Commanders for this colour combination.


Splendid Reclamation

Nissa, you know that's not true. Where's MH370?

There are a lot of practical applications for this card.

Fetchlands, The Gitrog Monster, Titania, and even Armageddon (floating the mana to then cast this, of course) all put lands (or encourage you to put lands) into your graveyard. Splendid Reclamation gives them all back to you, all at once. Amulet of Vigor could untap them, even, if that was the direction you were going anyway. It lets you reuse your fetchlands, trigger landfall en masse, or be the only player standing after an Armageddon (and because all of your friends ditched you for being a jerk!) This has some cool applications in a variety of decks, and I'm excited to see what people come up with.




Multicoloured

Gisa and Geralf

Kodak moment.

Hey, our favourite dysfunctional siblings have returned!

Four mana gets us a 4/4 with two upsides (self-mill is an upside in UB). While creatures across the five colours (and colourless) have become increasingly efficient over the last ten years or so, an efficient creature in this colour combination always feels refreshing. Combine the efficiency of the Cecani siblings with their popularity as characters, and their ability to cast a creature from your graveyard suggests to me that they'll be a popular Commander.


Tamiyo, Field Researcher

"Book 'em, Tammy!"
"You are such a knob, Jace."

And now we come to my favourite card in the set.

Tamiyo was on Innistrad when we last visited, standing out because, well, she was a Moonfolk on a plane without them. She was there, if memory serves, to highlight that planeswalkers are sometimes meant to stand out. So this trip served to flesh out her character, and brings us to her second incarnation.

Her +1 is pretty powerful, as it doesn't specify what the target creatures have to damage, just that they have to deal it. It pairs nicely with double strike (and she shares colours with Rafiq...), and she's pretty good alongside Edric, Spymaster of Trest. If that deterrent isn't enough, she can straight up lock two nonland permanents down, and prevent them from untapping during that player's next turn.

And while it's hardly worth mentioning her -7, as it's not that attainable, you do get a free Concentrate (Ancestral Recall is an instant) and an Omniscience emblem. It doesn't help you cast your Commander, true, as it specifies that cards cast from your hand become free. But it'd be fairly difficult to lose with her -7 active. Free Ugin, free Eldrazi (with bonus irony!), free Omniscience (with even more bonus irony!)... the possibilities are endless, in a well constructed deck.

Awesome.


Ulrich of the Krallenhorde

I wonder if "Krallenhorde" is Innistrad-ese for "crippling disappointment."

Like Ishkanah, Ulrich is a Legendary Creature of a long-awaited type. Also like Ishkanah... he's kinda lame?

For the same CMC, you have access to Xenagos, who potentially offers a bigger boost, and haste on top of that. Every turn. And he's not dependent on a player casting or not casting spells. For one more mana, you have Ruric Thar, who actively punishes opponents for casting spells, as opposed to encouraging them like Ulrich does. Yes, Ulrich is a werewolf, and tribal decks can be awesome. But is Ulrich the right man/wolf for the job?

Ehhhh....


Colourless

Decimator of the Provinces

Ironically, not a boar-ing design!

Oh, hey, a budget Craterhoof Behemoth, who just happens to be a HUGE ASS PIG instead.

If you're running Craterhoof, run this guy, too. The boost isn't as big, but Pigly here lets you cast him at a discount (which will hopefully be the only time you have to cast him). Like the Behemoth, he's only really an asset if you're ahead anyway, but a pump and mass trample is what breaks stalemates.

That'll do, Pig. That'll do.


Emrakul, the Promised End

Until the sequel.

Well, it's not the original... but it's not banned, either.

With eight cards types (even if Tribal isn't common anymore), you could, theoretically, cast Emrakul for five mana, even in a colourless deck (All is Dust, Not of this World, Karn/Ugin, Eldrazi Conscription, Evolving Wilds, and an artifact creature). For the effect, even 13 mana isn't unreasonable for a 13/13 beater with flying, trample, and some protection. Add a Mindslaver (even if they do get an extra turn after you mess with their head), and you've got an efficient threat.

Will it see play? I think so. It's a solid finisher that can go into any deck, though it shines in a deck that can make use of the casting cost reduction.

EDIT: It was brought to my attention that Emrakul offers some additional value in multiplayer. Giving another play a critical extra turn after you take their next one is significant political motivation to help you. Take their turn, do what you need them to do, and then have them further your goals. An extra land drop, and extra card drawn... there are benefits.


"I am Providence"


And that's it! That brings us to the end of our overdue look at Eldritch Moon. Join me next time as we go back in time (Tarkir style?) to look at the cards you ought to be playing from Shadows over Innistrad.

Don't agree with something I've written? No problem; just leave me a comment below, and if you have suggestions, let me know that, too!

Until next time!

Promises to Keep - Oath of the Gatewatch Review

Hi, everyone! Welcome back!

We've got a new set on the horizon, and I've got you covered with my Commander picks from Oath of the Gatewatch!

Let's get to it. Avengers Gatewatch, ASSEMBLE!

White

Linvala, the Preserver

... At least the art is nice?

I have my doubts that Linvala will make an impact. A six mana 5/5 with flying is average. If you're behind, she can help, but compare her to Thragtusk. Being a 5/5 for 6 (and that's it) while you're ahead might not be enough to keep you there. And you only get the ETB triggers when you're behind, so blinking it (and you can't do that with Restoration Angel, even) only nets you value until you're caught up!

Linvala's more fair than Thragtusk, and offers flying, but why would you jump through all these hoops when Thragtusk saw print at a lower rarity, smaller colour commitment, and lower CMC? Old Linvala's where it's at.


Oath of Gideon

Stop right there, criminal scum!

Three mana gets you two 1/1s in a potentially relevant tribe. The real draw here is the utility in a Superfriends deck. Entering with an extra loyalty can be a big deal. It allows Garruk Wildspeaker to be a cheaper Overrun, Elspeth Tirel to be a cheaper (and arguably better) Hour of Reckoning, and Liliana of the Dark Realms to survive after pumping (or killing) a creature. It helps to add some resilience to your planeswalkers, and combos nicely with Doubling Season (everything does). Venser can blink it for additional value, to boot. The tokens are no hell, but they can chump for planeswalkers that tend to do a bad job at protecting themselves, or need to use another ability to forward your gameplan.

Not bad for three mana, but needs to be in a dedicated deck.


General Tazri

Needs more Eisenhower.

I debated filing this under "multicoloured," but I didn't. At long last, and after some handwaving by the Rules Committee regarding colour identity, we have a 5-Colour Ally Commander. A 3/4 for 5 is not awesome, but an ETB tutor effect is strong. Combined with Conspiracy, you can even tutor for your non-Ally utility creatures (Eternal Witness, Imperial Recruiter, etc.). Given that Allies offer a diverse pool of effects and abilities, Tazri is an always available tutor that enables a toolbox deck by herself. Her activated ability is okay, and should be easy enough to get online for maximum value. I'll be picking one up for sure; with enough Allies and a viable commander, I don't have to run Reaper King and Changelings anymore!


Call the Gatewatch

We ain't 'fraid of no ghost...

I love tutors, and I love planeswalkers. Naturally, I think this card is awesome. I wish it were an instant, like Eladamri's Call, but I'm still very pleased that we finally have a dedicated tutor for planeswalkers. I don't know about widespread play, given that Demonic Tutor exists, but like with the Oath cycle, in a dedicated deck, this will shine.


Blue


Sphinx of the Final Word

Last word: "Can't touch this."

Well, that's tough to answer. Sort of.

Seven mana is a lot, but I guess you could more-or-less comfortably tap out and reasonably expect this thing to survive until your next turn. Enables your instants and sorceries, too. Maybe it'll be good in a Melek or Mizzix deck? Offers more coverage than Boseiju, but it's hard to say whether or not this will be worth the cost.


Crush of Tentacles

Rollin' in the deeeeee-eeeeee-eeeeep!

A fairer Upheaval with an upside? This will almost always be cast for its surge cost. Having an 8/8 on an otherwise open field is a good position to be in. Helps combat token decks, and late enough in the game might force your opponents to discard at least a couple things. Likely worth the effort.


Oath of Jace

High five!

Meh. Just... meh.

Offering some way to filter cards and fill your graveyard is alright, but for three mana? It does offer scrying at your upkeep, but only if you control at least one planeswalker. Unlike Oath of Gideon, which is proactive in that it offers defense and added utility to your planeswalkers, Oath of Jace offers you limited utility if you can jump through his hoops and keep your friends alive. This is why no one likes you, Jace. Well, that and your haircut.

Black

Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet

Shortsighted leadership, indeed.

Unlike Anafenza, Kalitas doesn't exile creature cards sent to the graveyard from an opponent's hand or library. But a 3/4 for 4 with lifelink is good, and he grows easily enough. I don't know if he's quite good enough for hardcore competitive play, given that his ability cost three mana to activate, but he's another fun alternative for something like vampire tribal.


Red

Kozilek's Return

A more expensive Pyroclasm that's colourless? And that deals extra damage when you cast a big Eldrazi, simply by being in your graveyard? This seems alright, for three mana. Two damage isn't a lot, but it does deal with creatures like Geist of Saint Traft and utility creatures with protection from red. Could be worthwhile.


Chandra, Flamecaller

Fire, at will.

This is the card I'm most excited for from Oath of the Gatewatch. Chandra cards traditionally haven't been good Commander picks, but I think Flamecaller might be the Chandra to play over Chandra Nalaar and Chandra, Pyromaster. Her +1 puts two 3/1s onto the battlefield, which, apart from being six power, has the added benefit of being able to push damage through if they only have one blocker. This can help deal with planeswalkers that defend themselves, like Elspeth, Knight-Errant. Her 0 ability helps you fill your graveyard (useful in certain Grixis builds), nets you +1 card, and has a little added utility in Niv-Mizzet decks and Nekusar builds that use Psychosis Crawler. Her -X is symmetrical, as a blend of Chandra Nalaar's -X and -10, but you'll only use it when you're behind, anyway. This Chandra, like Pyromaster, helps you catch up when you're behind, and unlike Chandra Ablaze, seems well worth the six mana.


Oath of Chandra

Stop right now, thank you very much....

This is a flavourful card, at least. Half-assed oath, half-assed card. I'm reviewing every planeswalker support card they've printed out of principle, but I really don't think I want this. If it triggered for each planeswalker that entered under your control, then it might see play in a Narset Superfriends build, where you get free planeswalkers from the top of your library, but the payoff's too small to justify it as-is. At least, unlike Jace's oath, the planeswalkers don't even have to survive to your end step to get the token payoff. Yay.

Edit: A reader has pointed out that when combined with Venser, the Sojourner, Oath of Chandra offers incidental damage should you choose to 'reset' your planeswalkers by targeting them with Venser's +2. While not a gamebreaking interaction, it's still very cool, and was worth mentioning.


Green

Nissa, Voice of Zendikar

Land, ho!

Nissa doesn't do anything new. She makes small tokens, like Elspeth. Puts counters on your team, like Ajani. Draws you cards, like Freyalise. Three mana is intriguing, with Sun Titan in the format, and token builds should seriously consider Nissa for the same reason they run Ajani Goldmane. She's nothing new, but a welcome addition to decks that want what she's got. Redundancy has value.


World Breaker

It's not easy, being green.

A seven mana 5/7 is pretty bad. A seven mana 5/7 that exiles an artifact, enchantment, or land when you cast it is pretty good. Has built in recursion, too, for when he dies. This kind of ability is a rattlesnake in its own right, since your opponents aren't going to want you to exile something else, even if it's going to cost you ten more mana. Protection from green isn't that common, especially for noncreature permanents, so World Breaker being colourless won't be that relevant, but worth remembering. Can block a creature with Sword of Feast and Famine, if your opponent doesn't RTFC.

Oath of Nissa

Getting really hard to shake this Vulcan vibe, Nissa...

One mana, you say?

This is the oath we need. Cheap, offers a good chance at a land or a threat, and then fixes your mana if your aim is to cast planeswalkers. This will make it easier to cast planeswalkers with awkward mana costs (looking at you, Bolas) in five colour decks. Bouncing this will net you value, as with all of them, and limits your selection (unlike Jace's oath, which also fills your graveyard). Limitations aside, I expect this one to see play.


Multicoloured

Jori En, Ruin Diver

Now in Predator-vision!

A three mana 2/3 that maxes out at drawing you one extra card per turn. She sort of reminds me of Sygg, River Cutthroat. Both are merfolk, both only draw you one extra card per player turn, and only after you jump through a hoop. I guess it'd come down to whether or not you prefer red or black as your support colour. The full art promo for gameday, as an aside, looks amazing.

Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim

Aayyyylimao (I tried).

Well, that's aggressively costed. I expect Ayli to become a very popular BW Commander. Life gain, wins fights against much larger creatures, and can eventually exile things for the price of a Vindicate. She needs a little work to reach that last part, but gaining ten life shouldn't be too difficult. A few token producers, a pile of removal, and Ayli, here, and you'll get the pseudo-Legacy Weapon online in no time.

Mina and Denn, Wildborn

Denn can dance if he wants to, apparently. Look at that kick!

I don't know if I'd run Mina and Denn in their own deck, but in an Omnath, Locus of Rage deck... So. Many. Elementals. You can also bounce utility lands for extra mileage, offering trample to your guys in a Stonebrow deck. Mina and Denn will find a home, no problem.


Colourless

Kozilek, the Great Distortion

For the sake of my appetite, I will keep watch.

I expect Kozilek to become a fairly popular commander. Colourless card draw and countermagic on top of being difficult to block make him a well-rounded package, offering things not often found in colourless decks for a fair price.

Reality Smasher

Reality: fragile.

An efficient beater that punishes your opponent for trying to remove it. If you're ahead, this will help you run away with the game. I don't usually like "win-more" cards, but this is enough of an anomaly that I'd say it could be worth including in a number of decks. Rafiq of the Many could make good use of this, for example.

Captain's Claws

To be fair, I'd be more wary of some claw-wielding lunatic than another guy with a sword.

Cheap, offers an extra attacker that sticks around (if he makes it back alive), and doesn't require mana every time it triggers, like Militia's Pride does. I wish the token were also soldiers, but an extra Ally ETB trigger could be worth the inclusion, especially during combat.

Stoneforge Masterwork

Armour: Now a necessity!

Elves, saprolings, soldiers, allies... lots of places for this thing to go. Added bonus if your Commander shares a type with the tokens you're making (Rhys, Nath, Darien, etc.). On top of the added benefit, the Masterwork's cheap. Worth consideration, if a token deck of some kind is your thing.

Lands

Mirrorpool

Riku, the land. Entering tapped is a downer, and the restriction of only being able to target spells or creatures you control limits the usefulness of Mirrorpool, but the mana costs aren't oppressive, and it's a colourless source if you're looking to cast one of the new Eldrazi.

Sea Gate Wreckage

What am I even looking at?

Enters untapped, and offers asymmetrical card draw? I totally expect this to see play. I know there are comparisons to Library of Alexandria, but I was reminded more of Mikokoro, Center of the Sea, which I really like in Commander. It might be too narrow, but if you need a colourless source, you could do much worse.

Fin

Those are my picks from Oath of the Gatewatch! Did I miss anything awesome? Let me know!

Thanks for reading!