Kimberly
TV REALITY MOM
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.tcgunity.net/magic-the-gathering-shadows-over-innistrad-set-review-for-modern/
April 8, 2016
Magic The Gathering, Trading Card Games, Uncategorized
At
the Shadows Over Innistrad pre-release, Ozzy Osbourne puts down the bat
he was casually munching and steps to the microphone to announce: “All abooooooooard the Hype Train!” Choo choo!
So, as usual, I’m leaving the reviews for the Sealed / Draft /
Standard aspect up to other bloggers. I prefer to Turtle Wax my crystal
ball and peek a bit farther ahead – into eternity, in the eternal
formats, where a card can get much better mileage for its money. So
today, we’ll look at Shadows Over Innistrad for cards that could be
coming to a Modern deck near you.My unscientific ratings scale:
When I pick a card, it gets 1-or-2-to-5, 2 being “maybe worth a try,”
to 5 being “get four copies immediately before the price spikes.” A
“1?” means “God only knows if this card will be awesome or a dud, but it
will be interesting to test.” A 1 rating means it’s either (a) a unique
effect we’ve never had before, (b) a budget substitute for an
already-played card, or (c) a card that could fit into an existing deck
that may not necessarily want it. As always, I will be ignoring reprints
and anything that doesn’t look interesting.
Of all the Magic sets there ever were to review, Shadows Over
Innistrad is mind-blowing! So allow me some misses here. There’s so many
unique and powerful effects that it’s challenging to judge this set. I
shall do my prophet best. It’s all prognostication and tea leaves and
gut instinct from here. After all, there’s nothing wrong with a gut
feeling; that’s just your brain telling you something without bothering
to explain the details to you.Shadows Over Innistrad cards to watch out for in Modern:
Anguished Unmaking – (3) – Utter End already saw mild play, but at four mana is slow for Modern. Anguished Unmaking is as close as you can possibly get to Vindicate without being in Legacy. So there’s got to be a call for it somewhere.
Prized Amalgam – (1?) – It’s obviously good in a UB deck running Bloodghast, Bloodsoaked Champion, Gravecrawler, and other recursive munchkins. The only problem is, that deck doesn’t exist right now. But need I point out, if this is your only blue card, he works just fine without any blue mana. Just pitch him to Pack Rat or something.
Brain in a Jar – (3) – It doesn’t seem like much right now, but trust me, this card is scary. Isochron Scepter is already a card, but it’s limited to 2-mana spells; this can eventually cast a Wrath of God for one mana. An Aether Vial for counterspells just might be what pushes Control decks to the forefront of Modern. Finally.
Drownyard Temple – (1?) – We’ve never had this effect in Modern before. The closest we’ve had is Dakmor Salvage, but this comes straight back to the battlefield whether you’ve played a land already or not. The three mana cost is harsh; however, Smallpox decks have no trouble going to the long game. Knight of the Reliquary combo has also seen some fringe testing; this plays very nicely with that.
Crawling Sensation – (1?) – Another card that plays nice with Knight of the Reliquary; both of them want real estate in the cemetery. This is like a half-step between Bitterblossom and Awakening Zone as far as token production goes, so it would only be good in either Knight or any random reanimator strategy.
Duskwatch Recruiter – (3) – Green decks that used to be Birthing Pod are already up to their shaggy manes in Collected Company effects to draw out creatures, but this is a small Commune with the Gods on a stick. He also flips into a decent dude that gives your creatures a discount. That may not look like much, but it’s a hell of a lot of utility on a grizzly bear. I’m being very conservative evaluating flippy cards in Modern, because it’s just not a format that often sees a player pass turn without casting something. But this guy gives you value even without the flip.
Traverse the Ulvenwald – (5!) – The banhammer calls will start rolling in. Late game this becomes Worldly Tutor for Modern, or a close imitation of already banned Green Sun’s Zenith.
Dual Shot – (3) – So Burn decks get a new toy. An instant-speed Sparkmage’s Gambit for one mana less. It’s pretty situational, but it hits a lot of staple creatures in Modern for one mana. Might be a sideboard call against tokens.
Geistblast – (1???) – This is the definition of a weird widget card. The pseudo-flashback copy effect says “Storm,” but it looks expensive to fit into Storm. UWR Control might use this for something, maybe?
Gibbering Fiend – (3) – He looks like he’ll be good friends with Eidolon of the Great Revel, and Burn / Zoo has no problem pitching spells to turn on Delirium.
Harness the Storm – (1?) – Another weird red card from this set. Modern Storm already likes Burning Vengeance, and then there’s the Pyromancer Ascension variant. The question is, just how many enchantments does this deck want to run while still leaving room for the bolts? If I’m not mistaken, this card apparently doesn’t exile the spell as is common with flashback effects. The bolt just stays in your graveyard and you get to cast it again? What are you people doing to my head?
Sin Prodder – (5!) – I will bravely face against the tide here and say that this card is nuts. There is a bone-headed myth out there in Magic-land that all cards that give your opponent a choice are not only automatically bad, but an abomination against all of nature and the heavens. I notice all these flames come from online only, while when I play paper in a shop everybody groans and scoops soon after I play Vexing Devil. I have a rant prepared about that bone-headed myth someday. Meanwhile, I got beaten by this card at the pre-release. It did damage to me when I wanted to stop the cards, and gave my opponent crazy card advantage when my life got too low to stop the cards. It’s red Bob in Modern. Even without the other text, it’s three power for three mana with menace, so it’s getting through every time your opponent doesn’t have removal or enough blockers, and if they have to double-block to kill it, that’s just more card advantage.
Skin Invasion – (5!) – Once again, I’ll go against the tide. This card will rock in Burn / Zoo / any Rx aggro. It’s insurance against spot removal. For one mana, it lands as a 3/4 out of Bolt range. They were going to kill your Goblin Guide anyway, now you have a follow-up. It still triggers Monastery Swiftspear when you cast it on her. There’s other hidden uses for it I’ll leave for the illuminated to discover. It slices, it dices, run it, it’s insane.
Village Messenger – (2) – There’s no doubt, if Modern RDW didn’t already have Goblin Guide and Monastery Swiftspear, this card would be in their place. As it is, it’s still a hasty 1/1 and the odds of your opponent on the draw not having a play mean this suddenly becomes better than Goblin Guide turn two, as menace is a pain to face. And oh, yeah, it doesn’t let your opponent draw free cards.
Alms of the Vein – (4) – Hee hee, who gave black a Lightning Helix? No, wait, excuse me, a CHEAPER Lightning Helix? One you can pitch to Liliana of the Veil, Smallpox, Faithless Looting? Who thought this was a good idea? It’s now a goal for me to topdeck this when I have Thoughtseize in hand and both my opponent and I are at three life.
Asylum Visitor – (3?) – All together now: “But it’s not Bob!” Bob my foot. This has one more power than Dark Confidant, hits you for less life, fires on each player’s upkeep and not just your own, and can, of course, be played for madness. 8Rack decks should at least test it. Modern being the format that it is, everybody but Control has their hand empty by turn four anyway. It doesn’t always have to be Bob, people!
Call the Bloodline – (1?) – God here we go again. OK, Mr. “I can’t believe it’s almost Bitterblossom” here has some noteworthy comparisons, in that instead of costing you 1 life per token, the tokens have lifelink. It costs mana and cards, however, but if you’re even paying attention this set, madness is pushed like crazy. In Modern as it stands right now, I could see pitching Bloodghast to it already. Add in all the cards from this set, and a whole new deck could be born.
Gisa’s Bidding – (3) – You know what’s stupid, it’s the humble cards like this that slip under the radar. Four power across two bodies for four mana is reasonable. Yet more madness makes it an economical cast. Lingering Souls is almost jealous, since it’s four power across four bodies for five total mana, but flying. What if BW Tokens tried this?
Heir of Falkenrath – (4) – I give up! Obviously we’re going to strain comparison with every Modern staple with this set, but that’s unavoidable when Innistrad block shaped so much of Modern today. So, this is a non-Delver flying 3/2 flipper – only it costs two mana and a card instead of one, but has a far easier activation. Unlike Delver of Secrets, you don’t have to build your whole deck around this. Just pitch anything, boom, black vampire Delver. Give her a chance – how can you resist such a winsome wench? Just look at that face!
Relentless Dead – (4) – It WHAT? OK, let’s calm down. We’ve already seen Mortus Strider. But this is a 2/2 instead of a 1/1, has menace, and has the option of becoming Unburial Rites for another zombie in your yard (hello, is that Gary?) instead. So it’s not pushed or anything. It’s just bonkers, that’s all. The only thing stopping me from rating it higher is that I can’t think what existing deck wants this right now.
Thing in the Ice – (5) – They sucked all the juice out of the rest of the blue cards in this set and pumped it all into this one. For two measly mana, you get a wall. Four instants or sorceries later (doable in one turn with enough Gitaxian Probe), it’s this giant ridiculous RAWR! monster thing that casts a Whelming Wave effect when it flips. Even though blue got shafted horribly everywhere else in this set (seriously? Startled Awake is my mythic?), this card is insane. So of course since it’s the only blue card worth having in this set it probably already costs nine million dollars. Everybody hate on blue now.
Town Gossipmonger – (2) – It needs a buddy, and is slow at that, but in the end it’s still a 2/3 for W with fire-breathing which will never be used. Look at the art. It knows how silly it is.
Declaration in Stone – (2) – Good sideboard against hyper-redundant aggro decks like Zoo, Fish, and Tokens; lousy everywhere else. Giving your opponent an investigate token, even in Modern, may be one of the lowest downsides to white removal yet. If Eldrazi survives after the bannings, this could be an answer to a row of Eldrazi Mimic biding their time to strike.
Eerie Interlude – (2) – Blink your team, you choose which ones. A strictly better Ghostway. Don’t look at me like that. White is BORING in this set, but it’s relentlessly practical.
Hanweir Militia Captain – (3) – I can’t think what deck wants this. Maybe hatebears? Anyway, for two mana you get a flippy when you have a big team – doable in Tokens decks – that becomes a Crusader of Odric that also spits tokens. This would be a much higher rated card if White Weenie had been a deck any time this century. Also, we already have Odric reprinted as Odric, Lunarch Marshal in this set, so why not just print this as another Crusader? Where are our Amy Pond fans, and why aren’t they rioting?
Nearheath Chaplain – (3) – Now here’s a boring, but practical value dude. I could see something like Abzan Toolbox wanting a lifelink dork that becomes half of a Lingering Souls. In fact, you have the option of just pitching it to the graveyard to just take the Souls.
Not Forgotten – (1?) – This is interesting just because white has never had this exact ability before. Green normally gets the Reclaim effect, not white. This can also whip something out of the graveyard you don’t want your opponent fishing out next turn, and gives you a token too. So that’s a lot of utility for two mana.
In conclusion…
That’s your Modern-eye view of Shadows Over Innistrad! Are some of
these evaluations too optimistic? Perhaps. I know you’re all going to
think I was bought off with these rave reviews, but Innistrad classic
did define Modern in a big way and Wizards had a lot of promise to
deliver with this set, so it’s inevitable that at least a few cards will
show some potential.
The other thing that adds to Modern playability is the changing meta.
Now that Wizards bans decks from Modern like crazy, new decks pop up
even faster. Who could have predicted Eldrazi Winter? So now, how can we
predict what this set with its ramped-up power levels will enable? Stay
tuned, and see whether history derails my hype train.
No comments:
Post a Comment