Rise of the Eldrazi Spoilers!

March 14, 2010 |

lsv

Today we have some sweet official spoilers for Rise of the Eldrazi!

It’s like Mana Drain plus Brainspoil…well, calling Corpsehatch “Mana Drain” may be overstating the case a bit, but the idea is similar. You spend five mana on your mainphase to kill a guy, and later you get two of that mana back. Of course, you also can use the 0/1 tokens for other things, like chumping, so this is even like Brainspoil plus Natural Spring! Brainspoil was always fine in Limited, and I expect Corpsehatch to be quite good.

Mammoth Umbra is another interesting card, and hopefully hints at a Constructed-playable member of the cycle. As long as you can land Mammoth Umbra while they are tapped out, you probably won’t end up losing any card economy on the deal, although the weakness against bounce will probably make this a card that frequently gets boarded out. A cheaper card with the Totem Armor keyword could be interesting in Constructed, although it would have to be in the three mana range for that to be true.

I obviously like this card quite a bit. Izzet Chronarch plus a Wall is exactly the kind of card I want in multiples when I draft, since it satisfies my need for defense and my need for card advantage. You need some spells to power this up, but once you get them, Mnemonic Wall becomes pure awesomeness. Constructed is probably out of the question, although this plus Rite of Replication in Block…?

It is a bit difficult for me to properly evaluate these monstrous Eldrazi creatures. On the one hand, they are too expensive for current formats, but obviously the set that they are in will impact said formats. I am hoping that they are awesome in Limited, because a Limited format where 11-drops are good is a Limited format I am bound to enjoy! They are certainly powerful, and the Annihilator keyword is a sweet one (although don’t hold your breath on getting a too-cheap guy with Annihilate 1 anytime soon).

Another card that hints at more, Prey’s Vengeance is quite exciting. +2/+2 for one mana has always been Limited playable, and this lets you get in for some nice damage the turn after you play it. As has been said before, a bonus like this doesn’t just do two extra damage, since the +2/+2 might let you attack with a guy that couldn’t attack otherwise, which leads to much more than just two damage. Other spells with Rebound could be awesome; imagine an instant for 1U with Rebound that has the text “Draw a card”. That would be insane, and even though I doubt they will make just that, something close would be cool too. Rebound is a powerful mechanic, and I’m curious as to what else it will appear on.

A 1/7 on defense and a 7/1 on offense is a pretty interesting combination. Seeing as I am all about walls, I obviously like the card, and actually think it does its job pretty well. The Boar sits back and blocks until you get rid of all their guys, at which point it bashes in for seven!

None of these cards is a Constructed powerhouse, but some of the cycles hint at great potential, and all of them look pretty sweet for Limited. I for one am looking forward to finding out what else Rise of the Eldrazi has in store!

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Luis Scott-Vargas

LSV is the current record holder for most wins in the Swiss portion of a Pro Tour after his perfect 16-0 run at Pro Tour San Diego 2010, and has the highest lifetime match win percentage among all current pro-level players. His other accomplishments include a win at Pro Tour...