Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Dragon's Maze Spoiler: Mirko Vosk, Blood Baron, Deadbridge Chant, and more!

We are knee-deep in spoiler season for Dragon's Maze. As of this post, we are about halfway there. Check out the full list so far at MTGSalvation.com

Yes, there are quite a few cards left to be revealed. But at this point, there aren't any cards that are slapping me in the face. There's a new "fuse" thing going on with split cards, but because of the "color identity rule," most of the split cards will only fit into three-color decks. That's not a bad thing, but those cards are competing with some of the "best" cards in three colors, so they will have to offer serious utility to edge the old cards out.

I tend to play blue, black, or blue/black. Sometimes red shows up to make it into a Grixis party, but almost always with blue/black mixing the drinks and music. Let's look at some of the cards that fit the bill along with a few others interesting options.

Up first, Mirko Vosk, Mind Drinker:

http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=141239&stc=1&d=1365680923

This guy fits perfectly in my Lazav, Dimir State of Mind deck. At 5cc mana, he has the same casting cost as Consuming Aberration. Is he that good, though? Not really. He does have built in evasion with flying, but otherwise he needs to deal combat damage to trigger the mill effect, it only affects one player (the one taking the damage) and he doesn't get big and scary like the Consuming Aberration does from growing the graveyard. On the plus side, his trigger is four lands. That can be a savage mill depending on who you hit and when. All-in-all, he looks like a good card to support a milling strategy in Commander and I know I'll be looking for one when the set is released.

What else is on the menu for Dimir?

http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=141406&d=1366085630http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=141354&d=1365998743

Warped Physique doesn't really make the cut. It's too situational, in my book. I also wouldn't run the new Cluestone over something else (like Mind Stone, for example).

http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=141267&stc=1&d=1365743460

Far // Away is one of the new "fuse" cards. Fuse allows you to cast one or both of the halves of the single card from your hand. In other words, this is two cards printed on one piece of cardboard. And the fuse mechanic allows you to cast them both if you are so inclined. There are some differences between how this actually functions vs other modal/utility cards, but what it boils down to is that for a total of 5 mana in two colors, Far // Away lets you bounce one creature and cause the sacrifice of another. I'm not sure that it earns a slot in one of my decks, but it's clean and the design makes sense.

http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=141222&d=1365653080

With Breaking // Entering, we are moving into Grixis territory. I do love me some Nicol Bolas, so it's not an unknown color trio at my end of the table, but let's take a look at how this card works. For 2cc mana, the Breaking side of this card mills 8 cards from one player at sorcery speed. Deck slots in Commander are valuable, so that alone isn't going to work for me - even if my main strategy is to mill. Tack on the Entering side of the card for 6cc and you've got a way to steal a creature from an opponent or reanimate one of your own. With haste! There are probably better cards for this, even cards with better utility. Beacon of Unrest jumps to mind. For a total of 8cc mana, you can fuse the two halves together and do both. At 8cc mana, I'm looking for big spell effects. I can imagine a situation where you grab a hasted beast with this, but Entering does that just fine without crossing your fingers and hoping that Breaking gives you a good target.



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Blood Baron of Vizkopa has some great flavor. I like the idea of this vampire getting crazy and going in for the kill. I can see him sitting there, all serene and baron-like, then suddenly transforming into a savage, flying killer! And hey, a 4/4 lifelinker with two protection colors is a welcome addition to the Orzhov team. With the addition of Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts, the old temptation to play white/black is crawling its way back. Not only is she sexy, but she does a bunch of cool stuff. At 7cc mana, she's costly. But, Orzhov makes for a great color pair, and Teysa's artwork is cool. This is a card to pick up even if I never get around to building a deck with it.

http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=141402&d=1366084915

I don't normally play black / green. But this is the first card that made me say, "That's cool!" Cool, with an exclamation mark. Reanimating creatures is a hobby of mine. Doing it every turn off one card without spending additional mana like going pro. Plus, you can get your utility spells back with it too. It's random, so you'll need to "embrace the chaos," but I can get into that. Hey, I like the cards I put into my decks in the first place, so having a chance to play those cards again sounds like a big win to me.



http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=141361&d=1365999909Naked Singularity

Possibility Storm is one of those wacky cards like Naked Singularity that makes everyone at the table either grin or cringe. Unlike Naked Singularity, players will get to play spells most of the time with Possibility Storm, but the spells they play will be pretty darn random. Throwing this into a deck that already gives people grief will be easy. I can't wait to hear the "Possibility Storm" stories after the set comes out. "So, he's sitting there ready to swing with lethal damage next turn. I have no way out. I cast Pyroclasm, exile it, and reveal until I hit Insurrection. Boom. Game over." Better lucky than good. :)






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