Welcome back to my quarterly set review, wherein I go over every card fit to print (and some that aren’t). I’m actually going to do things a little differently this time, this being a Core Set and all. Cards that were in Core Sets recently (M10-12) I won’t necessarily be reviewing; I’ve run out of puns about Angel’s Mercy, and nothing has changed about that card in the last couple years. If a card has particular relevance, I’ll still mention it, but I’m having mercy on myself and leaving out the cards that aren’t new and aren’t extremely exciting.
That being said, here’s the rating scale (and subsequent explanation), and we’re off!
Constructed
5.0: Multi-format All-Star (and undoubtedly worth too much money). Snapcaster Mage. Tarmogoyf.
4.0: Format staple. Mana Leak. Moorland Haunt.
3.5: Good in multiple archetypes, but not a format staple. Inkmoth Nexus. Primeval Titan. Geist of Saint Traft.
3.0: Archetype staple. Gut Shot. Tempered Steel.
2.5: Role-player in some decks, but not quite a staple. Think Twice. Curse of Death’s Hold.
2.0: Niche card. Sideboard or currently unknown archetype. Celestial Purge. (Bear in mind that many cards fall into this category, although explanation of why is obviously important.)
1.0 It has seen play once. One with Nothing. (I believe it was tech vs Owling Mine, although fairly suspicious tech at that.)
Limited
5.0: I will always play this card. Period.
4.5: I will almost always play this card, regardless of what else I get.
4.0: I will strongly consider playing this as the only card of its color.
3.5: I feel a strong pull into this card’s color.
3.0: This card makes me want to play this color. (Given that I’m playing that color, I will play this card 100% of the time.)
2.5: Several cards of this power level start to pull me into this color. If playing that color, I essentially always play these. (Given that I’m playing that color, I will play this card 90% of the time.)
2.0: If I’m playing this color, I usually play these. (70%)
1.5: This card will make the cut into the main deck about half the times I play this color. (50%)
1.0: I feel bad when this card is in my main deck. (30%)
0.5: There are situations where I might sideboard this into my deck, but I’ll never start it. (10%)
0.0: I will never put this card into my deck (main deck or after sideboarding). (0%)
As usual, I caution you to both look at the rating and read the comments, since even cards rated the same might have very different evaluations. Enjoy!
Constructed: 3.0
Ajani Goldmane has done some good work for me in the past, so an updated version definitely piques my interest. This new Ajani does some things really well and offers a scary amount of damage, but at the same time lacks a way to defend itself. Coming in with five loyalty is a very legitimate way to survive an attack, so all hope is not lost — even if we keep in mind that every tier 1 Constructed planeswalker has had at least one defensive ability.
If you play Ajani, use the +1, and get a guy past their defenders, it’s solid. You still have the problem of them just attacking Ajani, so hopefully they don’t have five power in play — and you are threatening to kill them before they kill Ajani. Once you have to start leaving guys back to protect him, you are gaining less of an advantage, and here is where he really pales in comparison to Ajani Goldmane. Vigilance is a huge part of why Goldmane was good in the specific decks he was good in.
On the other hand, this Ajani fits into way more decks than Goldmane did, because it doesn’t require a token army to be awesome. Any deck with creatures and Avacyn’s Pilgrim is potentially interested, and giving something like Wolfir Silverheart flying and double strike is pretty absurd.
Much like all new planeswalkers, it will take some time before we realize the full impact of Ajani, but the power level is there.
Limited: 4.0
In Limited, it’s way easier to defend Ajani, especially given that he has 5 toughness. He might not do all that much against fliers, but if you can keep the ground locked up, he will win you most games. Making your guys bigger just makes it that much more difficult for them, and I can’t imagine that they will be able to kill him in one turn almost ever. If they send multiple guys, you can just make favorable blocks and have Ajani take some damage, since he has some life points to give.
Constructed: 1.0
This reminds me of Knight of Meadowgrain (I can’t imagine why), a card both Josh Utter-Leyton and I forgot that we played at a Pro Tour. Despite the fact that I got second at said Pro Tour, I just had no memory of playing the card, and in fact could barely believe that we would play such a card. Josh was the same way, and imagine our surprise when lo and behold, we had played FOUR Knights of Meadowgrain.
Going back to the Sunstriker, we have a few things working against it. First of all, the mere existence of Nearheath Pilgrim makes it a very tough sell. Not only is Sunstriker not a Human, which in a world of Cavern of Souls is very relevant, trading a point of toughness for double (or more) the lifelink is a pretty substantial game. I considered Sunstriker and Wolfir Silverheart, then realized that Nearheath Pilgrim is vastly better in that role.
Plus, if I couldn’t believe I played Knight of Meadowgrain, how will I ever justify playing a strictly worse version of it?
Limited: 2.5
Assuming the double-white isn’t a huge problem, this strikes me as a card you should always play. Even if you don’t have pump spells, trading your two-drop for a card and 2-4 life is a solid bargain.
Constructed: 0.0
As tasty as Angels Benedict sounds, I won’t be enjoying it in Constructed.
Limited: 1.5-3.0
It’s hard to tell how aggressive a set is without playing it, so take these comments with a grain of salt. In very aggressive decks, Angelic Benediction is awesome, and can easily be the centerpiece of a nigh-unbeatable draw. Multiple exalted guys into this is crushing, putting them in a spot where they never have good blocks. On the other hand, if you aren’t beating down, this is real bad. This isn’t the kind of card you want to hedge with; either you want it or you don’t, and if you aren’t sure, you probably don’t.
Constructed: 2.0
I like value, and this is close enough to Blade Splicer that it’s worth attending to. The bigger guy being the actual Knight makes it more resistant to Vapor Snag, and both being white gives Honor of the Pure a couple more months of value.
Limited: 3.0
Easy two-for-one’s are what Limited is all about, and they don’t come much easier than this. A 2/2 first strike for three is already decent, and the extra Soldier goes a surprisingly long way.
Constructed: 1.0
This didn’t quite get there last time around, and I suspect things haven’t changed for the better. A two-drop that isn’t really a 2-power guy is rough, since drawing multiples of this doesn’t stack well. Plus, it has the name “Squire”, which is already quite the strike against it in the Magic world.
Limited: 3.0
If there was any doubt in my mind that aggressive decks were going to be good in this format, Aven Squire ended it. This card almost singlehandedly made WG beatdown quite good in Shards block, and that block had a ton of powerful cards. Squire provides an evasion guy, a clock, and a way to pump your other guys. It even has an effect the turn you play it, which is pretty awesome. You can never have too many Squires.
Constructed: 1.0
Some cards win the battle to make it into Constructed. Others retreat, and live to flight another day.
Limited: 2.0
This set reminds me of Alara block for some reason. Weird. While the Eagle is great at applying pressure in an aggressive deck, or as a pseudo-finisher in a deck with some high-power creatures, I wouldn’t just toss it in to any deck. If you don’t have a specific reason for including it, it shouldn’t always make the cut, though it’s a fine playable if you need them.
Constructed: 1.0
A semi-reprint, Captain took a break and is now back. Much like before, I wouldn’t watch for this to be played in Constructed, because it mostly won’t.
Limited: 4.0
Nine power’s worth of creatures is usually worth six mana, and additional bonuses to your other Soldiers don’t hurt.
Constructed: 1.0
I’d call this the worst of the token-making spells, behind Lingering Souls by a lot and Midnight Haunting by a little. There are better ways to do this (and yes, it’s very cute that this is what Captain of the Watch casts).
Limited: 3.0
Never before have you had to do so little work for three tokens. Scatter the Seeds at least had convoke, and various other token-makers required you to jump through some hoops. Even without sweet combos (of which there are some good ones), just playing this is quite acceptable. It buys you a ton of time on defense, and even though it can be worse than just a Hill Giant on offense, any number of tricks can make it much better.
Constructed: 1.0
The idea behind this is pretty neat; I’ve always had a soft spot for Keldon Warlords. Unfortunately, this sort of thing is just win-more in Constructed, and you really can’t rely on this to successfully crusade on your behalf.
Limited: 3.0
It doesn’t take much to imagine this as a 3/3 on turn four, which already makes it a solid playable. Add to that the possibility of being truly enormous and you have a winner. Just watch out for mid-combat removal turning a good trade into a bloodbath.
Constructed: 1.0
Even Smite the Monstrous saw (some) play at the Pro Tour, but the verdict on this one is still “No”.
Limited: 3.0
I’ve never run into the deck that turned down Divine Verdict, though I suppose the third one starts to get a little clunky. Removal is removal, and this is still Core Set, after all.
Constructed: 2.0
If you’ve got to kill an enchantment dead (for good), I guess this is the card for you. I don’t anticipate it seeing much play, but it’s worth keeping in mind.
Limited: 0.5
If there ever was a perfect example of a sideboard card, this is it.
Constructed: 2.0
If this is how faith rewards you in Magic, I’d stick to just getting lucky. The effect here is powerful, but it doesn’t work with tokens and just costs too much to be a reactive play. We’ve been there before (Second Sunrise, Ghostway), and it just didn’t work. What it does do is give Second Sunrise combo decks in Modern some extra Sunrises, though I’m not sure if the number of Sunrises is really what’s holding that deck back.
Limited: 0.5
I’m not sure what circumstances would exactly compel me to board this in, but maybe if they have multiple Sunscours or something absurd. Like in Constructed, four mana is just too much to keep untapped on the off-chance they kill your guys, and getting back just one creature is way too inefficient.
Constructed: 1.0
Well, now that Honor of the Pure is gone, I guess this is in charge.
Limited: 1.5
Most decks won’t really be interested, but if you are planning on calling the watch a few times, this probably makes the cut. It’s also a good sideboard card for matchups where your creatures are of similar size to theirs, or if multiple things tend to keep battling at once. Worst comes to worst, it’s also a decent 23rd card, and will at least scare them once they see it.
Constructed: 1.0
If the bonus was substantially bigger, there might be some combo opportunities here — as is, I’m going to protect your chances and advise that you not play this.
Limited: 3.0
Three-power fliers for four are a big deal, even if that three power is only on offense. Plus, there are definitely times when this is hitting for five, making it one of the more interesting commons for white.
Constructed: 1.0
I’d be lion if I said this was playable in the slightest, and I just cat do that to you.
Limited: 1.5
It’s not all aggressive here in white’s camp, but even beatdown decks need walls to keep them alive. Cards like this existing make me happy, even if I won’t always recommend playing them (though it’s likely that I play them quite often).
Constructed: 1.0
The guardian theme deck continues to underperform, but nobody knows why.
Limited: 2.0
This is much more what the aggressive decks want, as it plays both defense and offense reasonably well. It’s not great at either, but exalted is such a good mechanic that you are probably running it just about every time.
Constructed: 2.0
I would have loved to see this as like a 1/4 for three mana, because the ability is really awesome. I don’t think this survives often enough against the decks where you really want it, but I’m willing to try. The effect is powerful enough that you might be able to get away with it in some kind of GW Tokens-ish deck.
Limited: 3.0
I’m not sure how they are killing you if this is your turn four play, seeing as how it will gain you 10+ life over the course of the game (more if Captain’s Call is involved). Even beatdown decks will gladly play this, and it’s excellent in any sort of slower strategy.
Constructed: 2.0
In a land of Wolfir Silverhearts, this might actually get there. Sometimes, you need a hero, and repeatable removal in a color which doesn’t usually get it is worth looking at.
Limited: 3.5
Against some decks, this only kills a few creatures, at which point it’s already great. Against others, it misses completely, but that just means that they don’t have anything really monstrous. Lastly, there are decks where this just means they can’t win, and once you look at all of the possibilities, this card shines. You can even throw a pump spell on their guys to slay them, if that’s what it takes.
Constructed: 2.0
The glorious upgrade to White Knight might actually get there this time around. Three power for two mana is a solid deal, and protection from black isn’t irrelevant either. I hope this is good, because when cards like this are good, Magic is in a good spot. I don’t think it’s insane by any means, but it might fill out a curve here and there.
Limited: 3.5
A 2/1 exalted for two would already be great, and adding an extremely powerful ability is a huge bonus. Against some decks, pro black will just destroy them, making this quite the high pick.
This card has been a staple for the entire time it’s been around, so I’m glad to see it’s back. It also featured as part of one of the more absurd things I’ve done on MTGO, which is force the game into a triple-Oblivion Ring loop while recording a Standard video. In honor of that, Nate (also known as @WalkThePlanes on Twitter, and creator of awesome Magic videos), made me this sweet picture:
Constructed: 2.5
This is kind of exciting. This card not only refers to blocking, a big Constructed no-no, it requires three attackers before it does so — yet it still looks pretty awesome for Constructed. Odric’s stats are competitive, which is a start, and once you assemble three creatures, you begin to dominate combat. You can make nothing block, or make things block in terrible fashion, and both those possibilities sound pretty good. I like this card, and even though there is fierce competition at the four-drop spot, this looks like a good sideboard card for creature mirrors (or a main deck card once those become more prevalent).
Limited: 4.5
When I think of busted rares, this definitely springs to mind. It might not turn the tide when you are getting crushed, but a 3/4 first strike does a pretty good job at stopping the bleeding, and this set (thankfully) has a lack of Titans and Titan-like bombs. You probably shouldn’t pass this pack one, at least until you open this and a foil Battle of Wits.
Moo. That is all.
Constructed: 2.0
A world without a Wrath is an interesting one, and I’m not unhappy to see what occurs as a result. Planar Cleansing has never really made waves, even though I could see it as a niche sideboard card if there is nothing better to rely on.
Limited: 2.0
If I’m playing Plains, I’m likely playing this, but I’m not incredibly excited to be doing so. My disdain for Wraths is well-known, and a six-mana triple-color Wrath is worse than most.
Constructed: 1.0
What exactly is the elephant prized for, delicious elephant steaks? Certainly not its Constructed merit.
Limited: 3.0
This whole cycle is really neat. It gives the set a splash of color-pair identity, but isn’t overloud, and all the cards look pretty good. This happens to be one of the least powerful, but it’s still a fine card (I’m assuming you are GW; it’s very bad otherwise). It’s quite the prize if you can nab it, and luckily, most people won’t be too interested.
Constructed: 1.0
Sorry to rain on your parade, but even if Lingering Souls and the like make a big surge, this isn’t the way to fight them. Most token decks will have various Crusades, so trying to catch them with a sandstorm just isn’t going to work.
Limited: 2.0
Some of the value of pinging for one is lost when it’s limited to only attackers, because you can’t kill a utility guy or a defender, but this effect is still reasonable. It isn’t absurd to think that this will mostly trade for one card, sometimes for two cards, and every now and then trade for no cards. It also makes a great sideboard card, even though I wouldn’t mind starting it.
Constructed: 1.0
I have faith that many people are going to try building around this, thinking that it rhox. It’s pretty cool, but not really in the Constructed space I’d be looking for.
Limited: 2.5
Even setting aside awesome combos, this does a good job of defending you from evil, blocking a four-power guy and gaining you back 2 life.
Constructed: 1.0
Even in the days of yore, when Sneak Attack was a thing, this wasn’t really the best way to go about it. If you have seven mana and have gained a ton of life, congratulations! You are probably winning.
Limited: 1.5
Sometimes you want a seven-mana 8/8 or 10/10, and this can often be quite a bit bigger. It isn’t a windmill slam by any means, but there are matchups and decks where it can do some real work. I like it in slow defensive decks or in slow matchups, so keep that in mind while drafting.
Constructed: 2.5
If it’s good enough for Legacy, it’s gotta be good enough for Standard, right? I don’t exactly know where this fits, but I imagine that it’ll be a solid addition somewhere. Serra Avenger isn’t overly powerful, just good at filling out the middle of the curve for an aggressive deck.
Limited: 3.5
Even if you can’t drop it until turn four, this is still a 3/3 flier, and costing only two mana is still an advantage. Take it and be glad you got to do so.
Constructed: 1.0
One day, a pump spell is going to show up in Constructed, and I don’t count Mutagenic Growth (Phyrexian mana strikes again).
Limited: 2.5
A Giant Growth is a Giant Growth, and I wouldn’t be unhappy with multiples of this.
Constructed: 1.0
Trying to find the silver lion-ing on this cloud is a waste of time; the card is bad, and there is no way around it.
Limited: 2.0
The last time around, I called this card terrible in Limited, as I was anchored in what Core Sets used to look like. Nowadays, I realize that they are real Limited formats, and as such, a 2/2 for two is a fine deal.
Constructed: 3.0
This card seems awesome. Not only is it a 4/3 flier for four, if you have an evasion guy in play, you get to hit for its power plus one for every creature you have, which is not a weak ability. If there ever was a card that could reconcile Lingering Souls and exalted, this is it. There are some risks now that you are putting all your eggs in one basket, because Doom Blade or Vapor Snag become Fog all of a sudden. Still, the power level of this card is high enough to take that risk, and worst comes to worst, just bash as normal and enjoy a 4/3 flier.
Limited: 4.5
The Archangel is a straight-up bomb, and should be prioritized accordingly. I’m not sure how this card gets beaten, save by a removal spell or a steady string of chump blockers.
Constructed: 1.0
I’m eternally optimistic, but even I can’t justify letting this card touch my Constructed decks. It is way too awkward to set up, and once you do, they can just blow you out with a removal spell, since you really gained nothing of permanence.
Limited: 2.5
I really hope this is awesome. Locking them out with this is something I’d enjoy greatly, and I will strive to try it. It legitimately seems good, making you unkillable until they can do 8+ damage in a single turn, and likely more.
Constructed: 1.0
What is this good for? Absolutely nothing.
Limited: 1.5
Given enough Soldiers and/or Knights (I’d say around eight), this might be decent, but it’s rarely going to be super exciting. Luckily for the Falcon and potential Falcon-owners, when it is super exciting, nobody will stop you from assembling a bunch of them.
Constructed: 1.0
Despite cards with “clamp” in their names having a high probability of being broken, this is definitely an underdog to get banned at any point.
Limited: 0.5
This is the kind of card that looks very terrible, but might be a part of some suicidal weenie rush deck, a deck that isn’t particularly obvious until the set is drafted. For now I’m saying I’d only board it in against a deck with a million X/1’s, but who knows? Maybe it’ll be awesome.
Top 5 White Commons
5. Captain’s Call
4. Attended Knight
3. Griffin Protector
2. Aven Squire
1. Pacifism
Pacifism continues to reign supreme, and once again takes the top common slot for white. Aven Squire, Griffin Protector, and Attended Knight are all awesome and interchangeable — I could see myself taking any one over any of the others, depending on my deck and card composition. In the hyper-aggressive deck, Squire is by far the best, probably followed by the Griffin, depending on your curve. In control decks, Attended Knight could easily be more valuable, so I just caution you to keep all that in mind when looking at the list. After that, it falls off considerably, with Captain’s Call beating out cards like Ajani’s Sunstriker, Divine Verdict and Battleflight Eagle to be the best of the mediocre.
Top 5 Constructed Cards
5. Serra Avenger
4. Odric, Master Tactician
3. Sublime Archangel
2. Oblivion Ring
1. Ajani, Caller of the Pride
White, unsurprisingly, got a bunch of creatures and ways to pump them. They are all pretty good this time around, with Ajani getting the nod over Oblivion Ring only because of the uncertainty that comes with evaluating planeswalkers. When it comes to midrange white decks, there are plenty of cards to choose from, and it’ll be interesting to see what ends up prevailing over the next couple months.
Tomorrow I tackle blue, which got the next best thing to Lingering Souls for Limited.
LSV
