We got more in depth with a discussion of NPH and handle some rumors about upcoming sets including when, where and why you’ll be paying attention to this lady:
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5 Reasons to be Excited for New Phyrexia
Editor’s Note: Before you crazy kids head out to NPH Release parties and events this weekend, be sure to read this piece from TCP writer, Dj , on the flavor and content you should expect when you crack your first packs.
Hello everyone and welcome back to Mirrodin… well, I guess it’s Phyrexia now. As everyone has seen by now the Phyrexians have won the war for the plane and it has been greatly changed for this new set. While I’m a little disappointed that the Mirrans lost because I really liked their artifacts and abilities, I am definitely excited for the newest cards that will totally change the game. Here are a few of what I think are the coolest new things to find in New
Phyrexia.
1. The Phyrexians have regained their status as the most terrifying force in the Magic multiverse. With a Phyrexia victory we once again have access to some devastating spells, some with awesome improvements. Infect is naturally a huge theme in this set and the Phyrexian penchant for distributing -1/-1 and demanding blood sacrifices are also in tons of cards, particularly black, for this set. I particularly like Grim Affliction
Grim Affliction, allowing you to pass out counters and also proliferate any that happen to be on the battlefield already. However one of the coolest new cards in this set is a huge improvement over a classic Magic card: the Phyrexian Negator. The Phyrexian Obliterator
Phyrexian Obliterator is something I want in every mono-black deck, forcing any opponent without removal in hand to sacrifice a few permanents to take out this guy.2. Phyrexian leadership has been split along the 5 colors of mana. While black is a dominant force in New Phyrexia, the other colors get cool Phyrexian cards as well. With exposure to the five suns of Mirrodin, factions have emerged among the Phyrexians each with their own ideas of perfection. This leads us to some really cool cycles of cards to play with. Our article from last week goes over how cool the Praetors are but there is another neat cycle of chancellors to play with. These guys are all expensive but they make up for it with some cool abilities, one of which they do before the game even begins. Like the leylines, the chancellors can give you an advantage from the start of the game doing things like milling your opponent, countering spells, or draining life.
3. Colored artifacts return with a Phyrexian twist. Colored artifacts were a major mechanic of Esper in the Shards of Alara block. With the return to Mirrodin since then, it would seem strange if the artifact plane didn’t have some way to add color to their artifacts. It took a Phyrexian invasion but now they have a way to add colors to artifacts. These Phyrexian artifacts are unique by letting you pay for their colors with a payment of life. This mechanic give artifacts colors, but it doesn’t limit them to those colors in building a deck.
4. Phyrexian mana gives decks access to effects normally outside their colors. This new mechanic is probably going to cause the greatest changes in the game. Many spells in New Phyrexia can be paid with colorless mana and
some life, allowing them to be put in any deck. Some of the most useful abilities of other colors can now be added to a deck if you are willing to pay life for it. We’ve talked about some awesome Phyrexian cards before but I don’t think we can talk enough about them. I find that the coolest of these cards are the answers such as Dismember and Act of Aggression that can surprise your opponent. Mutagenic Growth is going to cause all sorts of trouble, especially against burn decks. For 2 life you can pump your creatures in an emergency. Tapped out from playing Jin-Gitaxias
Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur and about to lose him to a timely Dismember
Dismember? Not anymore! Just pay 2 life and he will be around to wreck your opponent’s hand. These kinds of surprises from Phyrexian spells are going to cause a lot of hesitation in your opponent.5. Karn has been freed from Phyrexian control and regained his planeswalker spark. Ever since it was announced we were returning to Mirrodin
I was just waiting for Karn
Karn Liberated to return as a planeswalker card. It looks like he is definitely worth the wait. The first thing anyone will notice is that he’s colorless. While 7 is a little expensive for a planeswalker he will find a way to get out quick, especially with mana ramp. His abilities also look pretty expensive but they will certainly be worth it. They have some control aspects, exiling cards from a hand or the battlefield, so hopefully you can take out some threats while he is out. Like any proper planeswalker, his ultimate is one that can end the game (and make a new one). If you can force an opponent to discard something really cool or risk exiling one of your cards to start a new game with a guy that will make the new game end very fast.A new set is always exciting and these are just quick overview of the coolest new things. As usual there is a good mix of cool new mechanics and awesome cards. The set is released today and I know I will be excited to see what new decks I can make with these cards. I’m certainly most excited for Karn, but what are you hoping to pull from your new packs?
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Casual Crew Comics #2 – Selling Out
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How (Not) to Host a Pre-Release
As you all know, this past weekend was the Pre-Release event for New Phyrexia, and, sadly, the final round of regional Pre-Releases. Before I get to our experience at the NPH Pre-Release, let me just say that as casual players we are sorry to see the regional Pre-Releases go. Large casual events, unless sponsored by companies like StarCity Games are a thing of the past. For the player who loves the crackle of a thousand booster packs being opened by three hundred of his closest friends in a casual setting, the crack of doom has sounded.
That said, I would like to remind you of the words of an ancient philosopher: “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” The upside of the end of regional Pre-Releases is that smaller local outfits will be able to make a bigger deal of their own events. This will give local store owners and local judges greater flexibility in deciding what an event looks like, allowing them to cater to their specific MTG crowd. The new system might also provide a critical opportunity for struggling stores to boost their sales on a quarterly basis.
So, having experienced our share of large-scale casual-play events like this, we’d like to share with you,for the benefit of your playgroup and your local store, some of our ideas for making your small-scale release events a BIG deal.
1. Start time is critical for the execution of a successful event. This is true from both the perspective of the player and the host. When TCP went to the last Pre-Release we attended we showed up about ten minutes after registration was supposed to begin. No big deal, right? Wrong. Even before we arrived they had run out of the promo cards and other
swag. After a fail like that we weren’t going to “get got” a second time. For NPH The Casual Planeswalker crew set their alarms for an ungodly hour, used two Reanimates and a Gravedigger to get ourselves out of bed, stopped by Starbucks for some even deeper and more ancient magicks, then piled in the car, spoilers in hand, for the hour drive to the event, planning to arrive well ahead of registration even if we ran into unexpected traffic.
And we did just that. We were there half an hour before registration was supposed to begin, money in hand, ready to go. We were the second group to arrive for Pete’s sake. BUT: There was no line. There was no logical place for a line to begin. There appeared to be no one running the thing…
More and more people filed in. Now it was 8:45 and there were probably a hundred people sitting around waiting for something to happen. Then suddenly someone, somewhere with an official looking t-shirt whispered: “line”. Having accidentally sat down on the wrong side of the room we were suddenly at the back of said line, which was okay until we realized…
2. People always forget their DCI cards… After making considerable progress through the line we found ourselves being shushed and shouted at as the irate hosts discovered that, wonder of wonders, not everyone had their DCI cards on them! We would have to start a new line to get our numbers, then head to the END of the registration line that we were already half way through, and besides that….
3. Nobody likes being yelled at. There were speakers and a microphone there, I saw them. Shouting does not make the experience “more personal”, nor is it more effective than instructions given in a calm voice over a speaker-system. More than that, being yelled at makes your customers feel like they are kindergarteners who have been eating paste, not grown men who are PAYING you for the privilege of being a captive audience, which reminds me…
4. Time is money. Not only are we a captive audience, but you, our hosts, have our favorite thing in the world, unopened packs of hot-off-the-press Magic cards. You earn your livelihood by selling these marvelous pieces of cardboard to us, and we are DYING to give you our money. Therefore: It should not take two hours from registration time to begin the first event. After recovering my DCI number and going through the main line (again), I didn’t get into pod 1 and so, by the time I finished my first match it was after noon and time for a lunch break.
With sufficient preparation we could have had two pods through at least two (if not three) rounds before lunch. Most players at a release don’t want to stick around in the tourney after they’ve missed out on the chance to win prizes. Most of us would, having lost, love to jump into another sealed event, open-dueling, or a draft.
If you are concerned, and you should be, that if there are too many cards in circulation before lunch…5. People will cheat, then simply have us…
6. Register our deck. It takes five minutes and we really don’t mind. I know this is “casual play,” but fairness is a big deal. Also, if unregistered decks is what’s stopping you from starting drafts and open-dueling before lunch, then having players register their decks would allow you to make THAT MUCH MORE MONEY!
Similarly, if you’re…
7. Concerned about giving away too many prizes? Don’t be. If each individual event is profitable (and it should be), then the more events you have in a day, the more money you make. It’s frustrating for players and unprofitable for hosts when people are spending too much time sitting around waiting for something to happen. If you can figure out a way to have food on site – a great opportunity to partner with another local business – you can shorten the amount of time given for lunch and…
7. Maintain the excitement. We love Magic. We really do. And all we planned on doing today was buying cards and slinging cardboard. The more you make us feel loved (giveaways, posters on the walls, banners flying) the more excited we’ll be (and the more money we’ll bring) the next time you host an event.
We’re excited for the more personal, more local experience that we’ll have at local stores when M12 and Innistrad drop later this year. If you’re planning on hosting an event in the near future, my best and final advice is simply to…
8. Ask the players what they want. We really are an easy crowd. We want cards. We want Coke. We want fast food. We want a day with our friends doing what we love best. If you provide a welcoming environment and a customer-friendly structure we are more than willing to max out our MTG budgets with a smile on our faces. See you in July!
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New Phyrexia Pre Release Awesomeness
Listen to our grand tales of what we saw at the New Phyrexia pre release we went to in Denver!
We made friends with guys like him:
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Pre-Pre-Release Inklings – Phyrexian Mana Splashing
I’ve already mentioned how much I love the flexibility that Phyrexian mana gives to pumpable creatures like Moltensteel Dragon and Immolating Souleater, however, there is much more to Phyrexian mana than just a 10+ damage on the third turn from a 2-drop common.
Casual players who are thinking about drafting or playing in the Sealed Deck tournament tomorrow should know going in that New Phyrexia is going to allow you do things in Magic that you may never have done before. Things like putting a counterspell in your Red deck, using Propaganda
Propaganda-like control in Black without splashing, and returning creatures from the dead using only Blue mana and a shaving off your life total.How does this magic happen? Why all this can be yours for the small price of handing over your immortal soul (or at least two lives) to Phyrexia. I’ll avoid giving you the full catalog of cards that possess this added flexibility and narrow it down to my Top 10. If you’d like to look at the full line-up yourself, head on over to our Visual Spoiler for New Phyrexia.
So, without further ado, the Top 10 Phyrexian-powered cards we think you should play tomorrow no matter which color(s) you’re drafting. Never has being colorblind felt so morally troubling…*
Top 10 Phyrexian Powered Cards to Draft, Regardless of Color
1. Tezzeret’s Gambit – Three mana for two cards and a proliferate thrown in. This top ten is in “no particular order”, so I’m not saying that Tezzeret’s Gambit is the best thing out there, but it allows colors like Red and White to fill their hands late in the game.
As far as planeswalker-associated spells go, this is one of my favorites. Jace’s Ingenuity
Jace’s Ingenuity is instant speed and a three-draw, but with a converted casting cost of five, it is a bit much for me.Flavor-wise, I wonder what’s going on with this card. The art makes me excited about getting into the storyline of New Phyrexia, though it’ll be awhile before I get my hands on a Fat Pack. Heck, I’m still catching up on the novels from the Lorwyn block.
2. Pith Driller – Especially in Draft and Sealed Deck, versatility and card advantage are key. In Legacy, and even Standard, where it is almost taken for granted that you have four of each “power” card in your deck, you can get what you want and need because you’ve built your deck that way. That isn’t the way with Limited – you have to pick cards based on their versatility and the possibility of card advantage.
For four mana Pith Driller’s got a decent power and a hard-to-deal-with toughness, plus there is a good chance that his ability permanently handicaps or eliminates one of your opponents creatures. He’s a great way to kill that annoying Suture Priest
Suture Priest or Vault Skirge
Vault Skirge. Elimination is key in Limited formats and to be able to take out one of your opponents creatures AND put one of your own into play with the same card makes Pith Driller a must-include. For Draft he’s a good first and GREAT second pick. If you have a chance to grab a Pith Driller, and because he’s a common I bet you will, I highly recommend it.3. Noxious Revival – Normally, I don’t think a card like Noxious Revival would catch my eye. With the Phyrexian mana symbol, however, I was willing to give it a second look. It would allow any mage a 2-life resurrection spell, which, because it puts the creature on top of your library, isn’t great in most circumstances. It is just TOO slow.
However, there are a lot of big, fantastic creatures in New Phyrexia which your opponent is going to have to work hard to eliminate. Imagine the look on his face after he shells out four life to Phyrexian-cast Dismember (see below) on your Moltensteel Dragon and you put it back on top of your library at instant speed.
Similarly cards like Blind Zealot which have a special effect if sacrificed after combat damage, could be (ob)Noxiously Revived and put back into action quicker than you can say Xenograft.
4. Act of Aggresson – Words cannot express how much I hate cards like Act of Aggression. You’ve probably been playing against Act of Treason
Act of Treason and Corrupted Conscience
Corrupted Conscience for some time now, so you know how painful it is when an opponent loses to your fatty in game one and then sideboards in three or four of those things. Well, be prepared to encounter Act of Aggression in decks of every color. There are plenty of sweet creatures to swipe in New Phyrexia and some of them are game enders – especially if you can find some way to give them Infect.Oh, and P.S. it’s INSTANT SPEED, which means you could really ruin somebody’s day by stealing one of their beefier creatures to block another, hopefully eliminating both threats in the process. Because this monstrosity is an instant and could be cast for only three generic mana, I think it has the utility and surprise factor to be a heavy hitter in Limited, if not beyond.
5. Porcelain Legionnaire – Despite his… lavatorial name, Porcelain legionnaire is a great buy at two generic plus two life for a 3/1 with first strike. In most cases this, comparatively rare, ability will allow him to survive conflicts with even some of the larger Infect creatures. His toughness of one makes him vulnerable, but in most cases your opponent will struggle to justify using his creature elimination to silence a common that you cast on turn two.
If you come up against him, however, you’ll be glad you drafted Pith Driller who won’t even need to waste his ability on the little shrimp because he can withstand the three first strike damage and hit back. I always struggle with making predictions about commons because we all know that some commons are more common than others (A whole box of M11 and only one Llanowar Elves
Llanowar Elves, come on! Not a single Goblin Bushwhacker in the WHOLE BOX!!!), but hopefully you’ll have ample access to this guy as he is a solid second or third round grab.6. Phyrexian Metamorph – I’ve been looking at Phyrexian Metamorph for a long time. This card, with alternate art, is what you’ll be getting at the actual Neal Patrick Harris (NPH) Release. At first I wasn’t overly impressed by a Clone
Clone with a Phyrexian mana symbol, but read it again. He can come in as an ARTIFACT as well. He’s always an artifact in addition to whatever creature type, so he’s helping with your Metalcraft. The versatility that comes from his ability to imitate a creature or an artifact in the world of Mirrodin makes him a pretty incredible addition to any deck.Add to all that flexibility the chance of putting him into play on the third turn and you’ll find your opponent wondering how to deal with his own bomb. Use him in a Red deck with Priest of Urabrask
Priest of Urabrask and cast him for free. After answering your opponent’s best creature from the early game, bring him back with Noxious Revival to mirror a late-game fatty.7. Dismember – As I’ve mentioned before, removal is key in a Limited environment and Dismember is about as good as removal can get – especially when you’re playing Blue or Green! For one mana (and four life) you can knock dragons and angels out of the sky. At instant speed you can grind into the ground that monster that your opponent tapped out on the fifth or sixth turn to play.
Because Dismember is an uncommon it will likely be in quite a few decks tomorrow and it seriously ought to be in yours. While there are a few creatures in New Phyrexia that could live through a Dismembering, the times that you’re up against a Chancellor of the Annex
Chancellor of the Annex will easily be offset when you take out the one Phyrexian Obliterator
Phyrexian Obliterator in the entire tournament without dealing it a single point of damage.The fact that Dismember is going off at instant speed will also prevent someone from using Urabrask the Hidden
Urabrask the Hidden or Act of Aggression to hit you with haste before you can respond.8. Norn’s Annex – When Propaganda
Propaganda first made its debut, my playgroup (which at that time still didn’t understand the concept of “the stack”) experienced our first control deck. I craftily traded “terrifying” creatures like Craw Wurm
Craw Wurm (thank God for the introduction of the rarity coloring system) for Counterspells, Boomerangs, and Equilibrium
Equilibrium, then threw in Propaganda and proceeded to make everyone hate me and quit playing for a couple weeks…Now, this isn’t a course in how to lose friends and alienate people, but we all know that “attack tax” in whatever form is major irritation. Provided your opponent isn’t playing white, Norn’s Annex takes that irritation to a whole new level, making your opponent pay two life for every attacker. The fact that this irritation can begin on turn three makes Norn’s Annex something that you at least won’t want to be passing on to the next guy.
9. Thundering Tanadon – This card has been a favorite of mine since New Phyrexia was first spoiled. He’s straightforward, he’s simple, he’ll be running over whatever flimsy defenses your opponent has set up by the fourth turn and soon be dealing enough damage to make your own sacrifice in playing him pay off.
Five power makes Thundering Tanadon capable of squashing almost everyone in his league, and four toughness makes him immune to most damage based removal, though not, of course, Dismember.
Finally, I love him because he’s a common. Hopefully you’ll be able to get your hands on a couple Tanadons allowing you to have a Bash Brothers thing going on. I also highly recommend intro music for this guy. If you can’t guess what his favorite AC/DC tune is, then you don’t deserve to call yourself a sweatpants-wearing planeswalker.
10. Mental Misstep – Have I saved the best for last? To tell you the truth, I’m not really sure, and really I don’t think anyone else is either. While Mental Misstep is possibly going to make a significant impact on the Standard and Legacy scenes, I don’t know that this card is your best bet for a first pull in the drafts tomorrow.
While a “free” counterspell, especially in a non-Blue deck, is not something to be scoffed at, the limitation placed on its use will make Mental Misstep difficult to effectively employ. Within New Phyrexia there is a very limited number of spells that it can counter.
There is, on the other hand, the delightful possibility, indicated by the flavor text, of using this bad bad even BEFORE your first turn. However, after that initial opportunity goes by, you might be holding onto this card for awhile. Mental Misstep has drawn a LOT of attention and I don’t think you should underestimate it’s impact on the game. So, grab your playset tomorrow if you can, but, speaking personally, I think there are several cards on this list that I would grab in a draft before Mental Misstep.
Conclusion:
Hopefully you’ve enjoyed this brief discussion of the joys of Phyrexian mana. Despite the versatility Phyrexia provides there are obviously downsides: You could quickly get yourself into a sticky situation if you get too greedy about playing these cards at the earliest possible moment, but that’s what Phyrexia is all about – using masochism to increase one’s sadism.
Best of luck tomorrow! I’ll leave you with a few cards that didn’t make our list, but deserve your consideration once the Limited festivities are over.
Honorable Mentions: Gitaxian Probe, Rage Extractor, Cathedral Membrane
These are some fine cards that I think would be highly enjoyable in some Constructed situations (though only Gitaxian Probe is likely to see serious Standard play). Rage Extractor has to be mentioned simply because it ensures that in a Phyrexian mana dominated deck your opponent is suffering at least as much as you are when you cast your spells. Cathedral Membrane is similarly situational. I don’t know if anyone would be silly enough to actually through their fatty at it to die, but I can imagine that there would be ways to exploit its “each creature it blocked” ability in casual Legacy play. I suppose if your opponent had it in play it would make a hilarious target for Act of Aggression…
*Moltensteel Dragon was disqualified to heavy participation in yesterday’s post.
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Pre-Pre-Release Inklings – Phyrexian Firebreathing
Everyone here at the Casual Planeswalker is eagerly anticipating our trip to Denver’s Pre-Release for New Phyrexia, hosted by Front Range Magic. While there’s a lot to look forward to in the new set, including the Praetors
March of the Praetors Post, a whole menagerie of new Living Weapons, and more Infect than you can shake a Staff of the Ages
Staff of the Ages at, there are few things about the set that have occurred to us as being a little less obvious, but nonetheless significant.One factor that we think might play a game-changing role on Saturday is the phenomenon we’ve affectionately dubbed “Phyrexian Firebreathing”.
There certainly isn’t an abundance of creatures with this ability, but there is the potential to use Immolating Souleater to deal 10+ damage on the third turn and that’s nothing to sneeze at. While Ogre Menial might not exactly look appealing,
he’s got Infect built in and will only need half as much pumping for the kill-shot.
Of course, the most obvious member of this elite club is Moltensteel Dragon. Under most circumstances you’ll be able to use Phyrexian mana to power Moltensteel Dragon onto the battlefield on the third or fourth turn. Because this format will be light on fliers (with the exception of some over-priced Blue drakes) Molty will be that much more likely to go unblocked. Then, pump ad nauseum (your own) and enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that you are using the luxuries provided by Phyrexian domination to the fullest.
But wait, folks, that’s not all. There are few ways to take Phyrexian Firebreathing from good to great. In addition to the obvious compliment provided by Green in pumping and life gain, there is the possibility of lending your Firebreathers Infect via Triumph of the Hordes.
Similar to employing life gain to bring yourself back from the brink is the use of Phyrexian Unlife which would allow you to utilize ALL of your life total for pumping, leaving you open to death by poison, but probably within range of the win.
Of course mana acceleration in the form of Geosurge
Geosurge would allow you to deal the damage your need without borrowing so hard against your life total. Priest of Urabrask, the red-headed stepchild of Priest of Gix
Priest of Gix, similarly pays for himself but with the additional benefit of mana-fixing.Finally, the presence of both Moltensteel and Souleater in the Life for Death Intro Pack makes it one of our favorites as far as the New Phyrexia pre-cons go. These aggressive creatures combined with life gain and great defenders like Cathedral Membrane
Cathedral Membrane, make us super-excited to play with this new deck. More than likely we’ll make “dibs” on Life for Death the consolation prize for being the first guy to drop out off his respective event.As with any great new ability, there are a myriad of ways to get your jollies using Phyrexian Firebreathing. We think it’s going to be a significant, or at least enjoyable, aspect of our gameplay this coming Saturday, but we’d love to hear what you think.
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March of the Praetors
Unless you’ve been living in a desert bunker for the last ten years, you know that the bad guys have won – well, maybe not on this plane, but the Mirrans (God rest their souls) have finally succumb to the Phyrexian invasion.
Personally, I know that the TCP playgroup was definitely Pro-Phyrexia at first. We never liked the original Mirrodin block and were anxious for the jerks who invented Skullclamp
Skull Clamp to get what was coming to them. However, the Event Decks for Mirrodin Beseiged won us over. And by us, I mean me, because no one likes losing to Goblin Guide
Goblin Guide/Bushwacker
Goblin Bushwhacker repeatedly.You’ll be happy to know, though, that the Phyrexian Occupation Coalition is just as cute and cuddly as any bladegrass-stomping Loxodon. I for one welcome our new Phyrexian overlords…
Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss
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A Quick and Dirty Rundown on the Praetors
The word “praetor” comes from an office of the Roman Empire. The praetors were magistrates who were chosen by the emperor to oversee various aspects of the civil order – the military, gladiatorial games, immigration, etc. In New Phyrexia the praetors are given full authority by the resident planeswalker to make your opponent weep.
Each of the praetors is a legendary creature and the only mythic rare in their color with the exception of Phyrexian Obliterator
Phyrexian Obliterator in black. Let’s take a look at each one!Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
Each of the praetors has an ability that aids your game while handicapping your opponent with an equal and opposite burden. Elesh Norn is going to be a bomb in a lot of casual weenie and a lot of block White infect decks. Having a total of seven mana for a converted casting cost is going to make him tough to play, but the only praetor coming at a lower price is Red’s Urabrask the Hidden. Vigilance and a toughness of seven is going to guarantee that once this dude is on the board he won’t be leaving any time soon.
His flavor text reminds us of the evangelical charity of the Phyrexians, who are happy to bring their steam-punk, do-or-die sadism to all those in need.
Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur
Blue sports a couple of new Flash creatures in NPH (am I the only one who thinks of Neil Patrick Harris every time they type this?). Jin-Gitaxias is by far the biggest and baddest thing going on in your opponents main phase. He also wins the title of “Most Hated Praetor” – at least until I topdeck (no other way) a Corrupted Conscience
Corrupted Conscience.Jin’s toughness of four makes him immune to Lightning Bolt
Lightning Bolt, and the likelihood that his controller is loaded with counter spells makes this guy the Sultan of Scoop. However, a converted casting cost of ten ensures that you won’t be seeing this guy pop-up too often – that is until my buddy Brad puts him in his Sneak Attack
Sneak Attack deck as a sneak-able Greater Good
Greater Good.Sheoldred, Whispering One
This baddie is going to be a casual play favorite in no time! Not only does he Reanimate
Reanimate/Diabolic Edict
Diabolic Edict every turn, but he’s a 6/6 Swampwalk in a format that is simply loving Black. Also, he’s the promotional card (with alternate art) at the upcoming pre-release, so I’ll be snagging at least one copy of this bad boy on Saturday.Unlike Jin-Gitaxias, who provides you with infinite resources and ensures that your opponent will be sitting around empty-handed praying for the right draw, Sheoldred is going to be easier to respond to, especially if you’re playing multiple creatures per turn and your opponent’s graveyard isn’t as full as they’d like it to be. However, there are plenty of ways to fill a graveyard, and plenty of cards like Corpse Cur
Corpse Cur that could accelerate your necromancy.Urabrask the Hidden
Finally, we come to Red’s praetor. Red has been an especially strong color in this block and Urabrask is a great addition to an already powerful arsenal – at least flavor-wise. With the lowest casting cost of the praetors, Urabrask is more likely to hit the board in draft and sealed decks. Not only does he accelerate your game, but he ensures that your opponent will be taking an additional turn to acquire eligible blockers.
Red has been such a Mirran-pure color that I think some flavor-nuts were hoping that Urabrask would somehow support the failing/failed cause of the resistance. His flavor-text is still a little obscure to me, but it might indicate that the Mirrans are as surprised as the rest of us.
Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger
Green is used to high-cost, high-power fatties, so as far as beatsticks go, Vorinclex isn’t great. A 7/6 trample for eight mana isn’t exactly a deal. Also, his man-acceleration ability isn’t going to be much of a game changer once you have eight mana anyway, unless you can keep your hand full.
Again, I can see Vorinclex finding his way into casual play, perhaps in a certain Sprout Swarm
Sprout Swarm/Seedborn Muse
Seedborn Mused deck I know. Like his brother praetors his color-flavor is great – increasing your mana production while asserting some classic Green control.Conclusion and Challenge
We here at TCP love our fatties and the praetors are no exception. We’re looking forward to pulling them at this weekend’s Pre-release and we wish you luck in your quest to do the same.
I’m pumped to see each of these bad boys enter play for the first time, but I’ll issue a special challenge here: The first player to let me know that he had (by any means) two praetors under his control at the same time, wins a Mirrodin Besieged card autographed by the artist. Let me know if you hit these guys or any other sweet pulls this weekend!
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We’re Baaaaaaaaack – Episode 7
We’re bringing the casual Magic hotness once again, in the form of The Casual Planeswalker Podcast!
Episode 7 kicks off with talking more about entering the plane of Mirrodin; namely, Mirrodin Besieged. We talk about our favorite fatty from the set (Blightsteel Colossus), a very intriguing new card (Knowledge Pool).
We also have a HUGE announcement regarding the Grand Prix in Denver and lots more, so kick back and enjoy!
