NPH set review

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sporkife

8 May 2011

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New Phyrexia in 165 Nutshells

This is part set review (both Standard (T1, T1.5, and T2 decks) and Limited, and other formats on occasion), part discussion, part whatever-comes-to-mind. Feel free to try to change my mind on your pet cards :D (Oh, and I ramble a lot.)

Colorless


Karn Liberated
Okay, so this is a colorless planeswalker.
Wait. It’s what?
Yeah. You heard me. First card on the spoiler list, punk.
Karn Liberated is the first ever colorless planeswalker. He can go into a deck of any color or color combinations, making him colorwise the most versatile planeswalker ever. However, sitting on the mana curve at 7, he’s not incredibly viable for anything that looks like aggro, and is definitely a potential ramp target for G/X. As far as abilities go, his starting loyalty is way out of range of anything when you use his plus ability – the only thing that’s going to kill him at 10 loyalty is Vampire Hexmage. Thing is, that +4 ability (the largest plus ability ever printed) is well, rather interesting. You can make your opponent exile a card from their hand or you can make yourself exile a card from your hand. The same holds with the minus ability – it’s probably going to be best used getting rid of your opponent’s Jace, the Mind Sculptor or whatever annoying threat they have – but you can also exile your own Jace, the Mind Sculptor. Why would you exile your own stuff? Well, because of Karn’s massive ultimate. At - 14, it clocks in as the ultimate with the biggest counter requirement, but is fueled by the rapid growth given by a large plus ability. The ultimate does something that is very powerful and doesn’t happen very often at all – restarts the game. As just this, it seems like a bad plan – against aggro you’re just refueling them to hit you again, against combo you give them another shot, against control you refuel their removal. However, all that stuff that you exiled with Karn? You get that to start the game. Yeah. I’ll let you decide what exactly to play around with there – just a reminder that when your opponent has to discard, they’re going to probably discard lands a lot of the time. Limited this is a hardcore bomb, but I’m honestly not sure what he’s going to do in standard. 7 mana is a whole lot for something, even if it has a decent chance of winning you the game.

White

Apostle’s Blessing
This little guy reminds me a little of Emerge Unscathed. Okay, a lot. In standard I don’t think it’s quite good enough, but in limited this is a nice little trick to either get your creature past blockers or to save your artifact (!) or creature from spot removal.
Auriok Survivors
Given all the equipment and all the artifact removal in the format, odds are one of these guys in your limited pool will be pretty solid. You get at least a 4/6 for 6, and if there’s something good in your bin you can bring it back and have the option of sticking it on him. Plus 4/6 for 6 in white is a pretty solid body at uncommon. For standard it’s just too expensive to be played.
Blade Splicer
I really rather like this theme. There’s a whole bunch of things that make golem tokens and then give them candy. This one gives you a 3/3 first striker and a 1/1 for only 3 mana – pretty good, I think. Decent in limited with some other golem-makers, and maybe someone can come up with a good use for these guys in standard – the power level potential is definitely there. Also, this finally explains why Precursor Golem is called Precursor Golem!
Cathedral Membrane
1 mana for a 0/3 defender is pretty good. 1 mana for a 0/3 that can trade with a titan? That’s impressive. This is obviously a pure titan-killer, which in limited makes him a solid removal card and in standard makes him at the very least playable in white, and maybe in other colors.
Chancellor of the Annex
This here is an odd cycle. This one is fairly representative – overcosted, with an odd ability pair. A starter Mana Tithe and some more Mana Tithe on turn 7 when you can play it isn’t worth the 6 turns between where there’s a dead card in your hand. In limited, it’s just a evasive body with a barely relevant ability.
Dispatch
OH HAI Path to Exile, I ALMOST DIDN’T SEE YOU THERE. If you have metalcraft, this is a drawback-less Path. If you don’t have metalcraft, it’s not so good. But if you have metalcraft, there’s other good stuff in white that has metalcraft and then you’re exiling dudes like there’s no tomorrow. Not as versatile as Path or Swords to Plowshares, but it will definitely see play with all the powerful creatures in the format.
Due Respect
It’s it’s like this is supposed to hose a specific archetype, but that archetype is not in Standard. Empty the Warrens storm deck plus Fires of Yavimaya would cry at this when you follow it up with a Wrath of God – but none of those cards are in Standard. Maybe this is a hint for the next couple sets? Maybe not. At least it’s a cantrip.
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
Mythic cycle alert. The last mythic cycle was the titans, and we all know how good those are. This cycle is a little less regular, but still has members with considerable potential. This is one of them. Yeah, it’s 7 mana but if you ramp this out early, it does a serious number on aggro. Plus it’s a 4/7 with vigilance. And it makes your dudes a bit larger too. Limited this makes your opponent’s face implode.
Exclusion Ritual
I want this to be good. I really do. It’s just too expensive, though. 6 mana to exile something is a whole lot, even when they can’t just play another. In limited this is an incredibly versatile piece of removal, and it might see some niche play in Standard, but not a whole lot.
Forced Worship
Limited, okay against fatties or as early stall but not really very good.
Inquisitor Exarch
I like this little guy quite a lot. He’s a 2/2 for 2, in white, and functionally has haste – unless you’re wicked low on life you’re going to play him for the opponent loses life – which makes him undercosted and gives him an off-color ability, as well as some significant versatility. Expect this to be solid in limited and have an off chance of showing up in Standard as well.
Lost Leonin
Okay, now we found the infect stuff. This looks like just a 2/1 for 2 – hardly anything to write home about. But then you look at the text box and find that it’s not all empty. If your opponent has no blockers, this is a 4/1 for 2. That’s pretty darn good. This is a solid, solid common in limited for infect and will almost certainly make it into one or another W/X infect build in Standard.
Loxodon Convert
I love the flavor on this card. It’s rather fantastic. The flavor text, name, and art all just mesh very well. This is a fantastic example of why there’s a creative team. Oh, you want to hear about the actual card?
Well, it’s vanilla, and overcosted.
Marrow Shards
Whoever thought up these Phyrexian mana symbols didn’t think it all the way through. You can play this thing in any color deck you want. That means in, oh, U/G Shape Anew you can sideboard this for the matchup against Kuldotha Red, where it turns their entire board into so much stuff in the graveyard. Plus if you’re in white at all then you can not pay life for it. Expect to see this in sideboards as long as Kuldotha (or anything that runs a lot of 1-toughness dudes) is around.
Master Splicer
The white golem dudes are the best, I think, all around. This one is an uncommon that gives you a 4/4 and a 1/1 for 4 mana, without being particularly color-intensive. In white this is a rather fabulous deal. Strong in limited, and could possibly make its way to standard.
Norn’s Annex
RDW and infect just started crying. Any deck in the format has the ability to drop this on turn 3, and make fast aggro’s life miserable. Late game it’s not so good against white, but otherwise (barring lifelink) is still a pretty solid defense. Strong in limited, and this will show up all around the place in Standard.
Phyrexian Unlife
I really want to like this one, but it’s just not good enough. It basically gives you 30 life instead of 20.
While for 3 mana that’s alright, one Naturalize is going to end your party rapidly. This seems destined for the junk pile unless someone sees something I don’t.
Porcelain Legionnaire
HOLY CRAP. This is one of the stronger commons in the set. It’s a 3/1 with first strike, but with that handy Phyrexian mana symbol up there it can cost 2 colorless, making it rather fabulous for any limited deck. This is even good enough that I would not be surprised to see it in multiple different aggro decks.
Puresteel Paladin
Solid body, first ability makes all your equipment cantrips (or Stoneforge Mystic busted), second ability, well, yeah. Let’s move that sword around after we attack, shall we? This will be part of the core of a monowhite equip deck, most likely, as well as maybe some other stuff.
Remember the Fallen
Sweet card advantage in Limited, not really good enough for Standard. Reminds me of a certain black card.
Sensor Splicer
It’s a common, and so less cost-efficient than the other white golem-makers, but it’s still pretty decent, color-light, and playable in limited.
Shattered Angel
I really like this card a lot. In limited it’s quite solid, chunks of life are fun. In multiplayer this is very, very good, as you can gain a lot of life when everyone has to play lands and there’s 6 opponents. Standard it’s too slow. Nice art though.
Shriek Raptor
If you want to play infect and white in limited, this is your guy. Evasive, 2 power, and infect. GO GO POWER RANGERS!
Suture Priest
Potential in soul sisters, maybe, and as a side/mirror card against boros or white weenie.
War Report
Great trick in limited, since odds are nobody has any sweepers. Too expensive for the effect in Standard.

Overall: Pretty solid. Good choice for limited, and definitely going to affect Standard.

Blue

Argent Mutation
Liquimetal Coating is better. Move along, nothing to see here. It’s probably better as a cantrip most of the time.
Arm with Aether
This is just odd. If they have creatures, they’re going to block. If they don’t have creatures, there’s nothing to return. It’d be solid as an instant, but as a sorcery it’s just weird.
Blighted Agent
This, on the other hand, is really, really good. It’s basically a 2/1 unblockable for 2. In blue. At common. This will show up in Standard and be strong in limited.
Chained Throatseeker
Whoa. Common, big body, decent cost, very strong blocker, and goes quite well with the previous card. Both will be high picks for infect in limited.
Chancellor of the Spires
Weak, weak, weak. 7 mana, colour heavy, odd random abilities, meh body. I guess this is okay in limited, but meh.
Corrupted Resolve
Poison deck is happy. Poison deck is happy. Poison deck like hard counter. Poison deck is very happy. Poison deck will be playing several of these.
Deceiver Exarch
Sweet combat trick for limited, especially on defense – 3 mana for a 4-toughness dude and one less attacker on the other side is really good. Not so much in standard unless you get it on a Mimic Vat hmmmmm. Or you find it a Splinter Twin.
Defensive Stance
Ew. I guess it hoses Blighted Agent, but that’s about it.
Gitaxian Probe
Self-replacing, gives you information? Looks good on-color in limited. Off color it’s a little steep, and these effects never make it to constructed play.
Impaler Shrike
4 mana for a 3/1 flyer is pretty solid, and if you feel like you need cards more than you need the damage, you can hit and then after you hit you can take some cards with it (instead of getting cards / rather/ than damage). Decent for limited.
Jin-Gitaxias
Dude he’s 10 mana. Come on. Sweet abilities, and the combination of flash and the opponent hand size reduction is awesome, but..it’s 10 mana. You have to basically Summoning Trap this out for it to be useful at all. Sad face.
Mental Misstep
Caley will back me up on this one a free counter is amazing, no matter what it can counter. This will see extensive Standard play, as it can stop Kuldotha Rebirth, Duress, and Steppe Lynx.
Mindculling
Too weak for the cost. If it was 3 and 3, it’d be okay. Maybe filler for limited.
Numbing Dose
Sick removal in limited – removal + life loss! At common! Yeah, it’s expensive, but it’s pretty darn good too.
Phyrexian Ingester
Odd, but funny. Use it to kill uh Emrakul, the Aeons Torn? :D Too expensive for Standard, really, but nice 2-for-1 in limited.
Phyrexian Metamorph
WHAAAAAA. This is Clone. Except it can copy artifacts too. Except that it can only cost 3 mana. Except that you can play it in any color. And there’s a ton of stuff that this can copy. Plus, being Clone, you can use it to kill legendary creatures, since it doesn’t target. This will be very, very popular in Standard, and obviously a bomb in Limited since you can take your opponent’s bomb.
Psychic Barrier
Hard counter, but restricted target and color heavy. Pretty weak as counters go. I’d prefer Remove Soul.
Psychic Surgery
If only there was a reliable way to make your opponent shuffle their library, I’d make this work. As is, it’s only good against 12-fetch boros or something.
Spined Thopter
Uh, yeah, red and green are down with a 2/1 flyer for 2, I think. Yup. Maybe even good enough for Standard.
Spire Monitor
Decent for limited, since it’s an evasive common 3/3 that can double as a combat trick.
Tezzeret’s Gambit
In limited this is pretty solid draw. This could see Standard in non-blue, seeing as red, green, and white have no card draw to speak of.
Vapor Snag
Okay, so we made Unsummon better, and it’s a common in a set with some solid creatures? Sweet! I want some.
Viral Drake
Well! Evasion plus infect, and then proliferate as a non-tap activated ability. Gets better the later the game goes. I like this a lot in limited. Too expensive without Trading Grounds in Standard though.
Wing Splicer
This one’s decent – a 3/3 flyer and a 1/1 for 4. Good enough for Standard, maybe even.

Overall: Pretty weak, but with a couple really good cards hiding in there. Not so much in limited though.

Black

Blind Zealot
This looks a lot like Hideous End, except a turn slower and you can instead use it as a (pretty decent) 2/2 with fear for 3. While hard to splash, this is a very nice and versatile removal spell in Limited, though unlikely to see Standard play (since it’s not part of any tribe that anyone plays right now).
Caress of Phyrexia
Sucks. Sucks sucks sucks. I /guess/ this could be slightly useful as a finisher in limited for poison.dec, but that doesn’t stop it from sucking.
Chancellor of the Dross
6/6 flying lifelink for 7 in limited? I’m down. Bomb go boom. An extra 18 life at the beginning of a multiplayer game? I’m down. Same problem as the others in Standard though, too weak for the cost.
Dementia Bat
I guess this is okay in Limited if you have some other discard, but mostly it would just be a splashable flyer for some other color.
Despise
Woo! Candy for my MBC! This baby is practically tuned to kill Caw-Blade – it can take out the Stoneforge Mystic or the Gideon Jura. Expect this to see heavy, heavy play in Standard.
Dismember
-5/-5 for 1 is an ungodly low cost. Hey, you lose some life, you win some games, it happens. Even in black this is wicked efficient, and is easily splashable. Great in limited and will compete with all the other removal in standard – maybe see some time in monogreen?
Enslave
Reprint party! I can play my sexy TS block dragon in your set. Top-3 pick in limited, since it makes your opponent’s bomb yours and puts them on a (slow) clock to boot. It should also see a bit of Standard play, what with all these titans running around. Very strong even at 6 mana.
Entomber Exarch
More of the cleric cycle. This one is nasty – card advantage either way. Good in limited, funny on a Mimic Vat.
Evil Presence
More reprint party! This one isn’t very good though Contaminated Ground is better. I guess in a U/B landscrew deck it could be playable.
Geth’s Verdict
It’s Psychic Barrier but good. Cruel Edict was house in its time, and Geth's Verdict will be no different once Zendikar block rotates out. It’s hard to splash, but great removal for all formats.
Glistening Oil
As I write this right now, it’s just after 4 on a Friday afternoon, I spent 4 hours this morning writing a term paper, and it’s about 83 degrees in my dorm room. I cannot find a way to make this card better than stunningly mediocre, and the only way that would work is if you had a Vedalken Orrery out and they just had X/1s. I don’t get it. Phyresis is so much better for your own creatures, and it fails as quasiremoval.
Grim Affliction
2 -1/-1 counters for 3 at instant speed splashable is very good in Limited. This will definitely find its way into any partially black proliferate deck as well.
Ichor Explosion
This is in my top hundred best flavor texts ever (hey there must be, what, 8000 different flavor texts or something top hundred is really good). In limited this is a wrath at uncommon, and will be drafted as such. In Standard there’s better cards like the next one on the list.
Life’s Finale
Oh hai Damnation. Your friend called he wants to know if he can borrow your art. This thing is so ridiculously good. No, creatures can regenerate, but that seems to be the way Wizards is taking us (away from Wrath of God). After you spend your 6! mana in black! to clear the board, you get to dig through your opponent’s library, find out what they have, and then take your favorites and dump them straight into their graveyard. No more Frost Titan for you! Ludicrously good and potentially format-defining card.
Mortis Dogs
This card is a distinct throwback to Hollow Dogs. It is, however, very much better, as a 4/2 for 4 with an extra 4 life loss thrown in if it dies when attacking. Very solid in limited, and splashable to boot.
Parasitic Implant
Okay, this is cool flavor wise – you stick someone with something, they die, then you get this construct made from their body. Pretty sweet. It’s also 2-turn removal for 4 mana, so it’s not terrifically good, but it kills indestructible stuff and all in limited.
Phyrexian Obliterator
I’m just going to sit here and let you read the flavor text out loud about a thousand times instead of actually talking about the card.
Okay, I’ll bite. It’s heavily undercosted for black – Phyrexian Negatorfoil is the only comparable card I can think of, and that has a drawback. This new guy? Sick, sick ability. The only place where Neggy is better is in X/b where you’re just splashing for a wincon, since BBBB isn’t really splashable but in monoblack? Here’s to your face, dead. *clink*
Pith Driller
One of the odder Phyrexian-mana cards, this seems a bit odd, but does have some decent flavor text and can go in any color deck, making it sort of useful.
Postmortem Lunge
Hey look! I killed your bomb and now I’m going to steal it. Eat that, punk. Plus I’m not playing black either. Ha! Might even make it to Standard.
Praetor’s Grasp
So fun so fun so fun so fun. I want to take a B/u deck to FNM with 4 of these and just steal people’s Jace, the Mind Sculptors and kill them with their own hundred dollar bills. Sheoldred seems to have some pretty rockin’ flavor text going too.
Reaper of Sheoldred
Well, this is good. Any color that can’t kill him without damage is probably going to have to dedicate 2 sources to kill it, which means 2 poison counters for them! A little too expensive for Standard though.
Sheoldred, Whispering One
SO MUCH CARD ADVANTAGE MY HEAD MIGHT EXPLODE. Not even kidding. Yeah, it costs seven, but it’s +2 card advantage per turn cycle. Hint: that’s a lot. Plus it’s on a fat body. One bomb with extra sexy sauce, please.
Surgical Extraction
Okay, I don’t know whose idea it was to give this a Phyrexian mana symbol, but I hope they’re happy. This would be scary enough without that – Extirpate being rather good – but for free?! First turn Duress, name Jace, the Mind Sculptor, Surgical Extraction bye, $400, we’re not seeing you this game. As an added ‘bonus’, you can play this in whatever the heck color deck you want. Format-warping is almost an understatement.
Toxic Nim
Infect, regenerate, and a big front end? Good times. It is weak in the limited infect mirror though, so be careful.
Vault Skirge
A 1/1 flyer with lifelink for 1 is welcome to come play in my aggro deck whenever it wants. Even if it’s monowhite. Very, very strong aggro common.
Whispering Specter
eh. I think this is best used as an evasive infecter rather than for its sac ability. Still, a 2/1 flyer for 3 isn’t trrbl.

Overall: Yes please. My favorite color just got a dozen shots of HGH and they’re all legal.

Red

Act of Aggression
One of my friends is absolutely in love with this card. I don’t think it’s /quite/ as good as he does, especially in constructed, but it’s still quite good. Instant-speed take is really strong, even at 5 mana, and the ability to splash this or run it in an off-color deck gives it surprise potential. In limited? Well, let’s see you have a bomb? Not so much. This is a great antibomb, in any color – sideboardable in anything. I’m quite fond of this card.
Artillerize
It’s trying to be Shrapnel Blast, but not broken which doesn’t really work. However, in limited this is a nice big direct damage spell or piece of removal, and there’s a couple cards in the format that have decent effects going to the yard.
Bludgeon Brawl
Someone (squire1 ?) is totally going to break this thing in half. Until then, it’s a really interesting, but not quite powerful, card. Although this could be fun with Puresteel Paladin.
Chancellor of the Forge
It’s just the reveal ability again is underwhelming, and for 7 mana the 187 is just bad. This cycle is profoundly unprofound. I don’t like it. I don’t like cycles of crap rares. It’s not even good in limited – a 5/5 for 7 with no real abilities. I guess there are dudes with haste, but still.
Fallen Ferromancer
Well would you look at that. An infect pinger. This is seriously good in limited. Pinging isn’t normally great, but when you can do it with counters or against a life total of 10 really strong. A little too expensive for Standard though.
Flameborn Viron
Vanilla, move along. NO. Look again. This is a 6/4 for 6. In red. Red doesn’t get these. Green gets this. This is wicked in limited at a common spot. This is a legitimate late-pick finisher.
Furnace Scamp
The rest of the cycle is better. I guess it’s okay on turn 1 in a sealed match, but other than that not very impressive.
Geosurge
Why does this have the second sentence on it? If it didn’t it would be at least playable. As it is? Pfeh. Hate haet hat. The only good thing about this card is the flavor text. It’s a sucktastic uncommon, too.
Gut Shot
This is also less impressive than some of its friends. It’s subpar in red (Lightning Bolt anyone?) and it’s half of a backwards Psionic Blast in any other color. It’s okay, I guess, though I’d prefer it as a common.
Invader Parasite
This seems like it could be so fun if only it was cheaper. Against a monocolored deck? Turn 3 set em back a land and then make them pay life for each land. As is, it’s pretty decent still in limited, and if you pump it out early it can be strong in constructed particularly against monocolored decks.
Moltensteel Dragon
Whoa boy. 4/4 for 4 with flying is spectacular in every color. Plus, it’s got firebreathing. On color, this is a solid late-game beatstick. Off color, this is very playable as an early threat and as a finisher. It’s very strong in limited, and will most likely see play in Standard, maybe off color as an early evasive dude.
Ogre Menial
Firebreathing infect is good. Firebreathing infect common? Yeah boii. This thing off the top will crack open a game, and in the meantime it can stop a weenie rush. It’s too expensive for Standard, but it’s essential for the red infect deck in limited.
Priest of Urabrask
Free 2/1? Yes please. Maybe this is a hint that storm is coming back in the next set! I would be down like Donkey Kong. Storm is one of my favourite toys ever.
Rage Extractor
Bask. Bask in the glow of this amazing card. For all the flaws of this set, Wizards design team, I forgive you, because you have created Rage Extractor. I LOVE this card. It’s in my top 5 favorite cards in the set. It’s just perfect. The art is impressive, the flavor text fits the card mechanic and the set flavor perfectly. The name oh, the name. It grabs you by the throat and squeezes all your anger out and uses it to fuel the war. And then the mechanic About the only knock I have against this is that it’s not synergistic outside of the set. But that’s okay. This thing works so well with phyrexian cards it’s not even funny. Have a card that costs 1 P/X ? It’s now got a Shock stuck on it. Have a card that’s 1 P/X where you’re not playing color X? It’s no longer a net loss of life – 2 for 2. Have a card that’s 4 P/X P/X ? That’s 6 mana for 6 damage and something that is (presumably) worth that 6 mana. It’s incredibly build-around-able, and sexy, and awesome. Not only does it get better in multiples, the second one comes with a free Lava Axe duct taped to it. And the best part? It’s an uncommon. That’s right no crap rare for you, but a build-around, epic win uncommon. Win. Sawse.
Razor Swine
Well, it’s a bit of a letdown after the last card but not a whole lot. First strike plus infect? Go me. 3 mana for a 4/1? Go me. A common? Yup. Absolutely required for anyone who wants to run red infect in anything that looks like a deck.
Ruthless Invasion
It’s no Concussive Bolt, but barring that all-star, this is a pretty solid common play, especially since it’s playable easily in any color. This could quite easily see play in Standard in any sort of infect deck, and in limited it’s high priority in any infect deck and great for anything aggro. Solid, solid common.
Scrapyard Salvo
It just seems like it needs to be built around too much for it to be good, since it’s only to players and it’s 3 mana. The flavor is strong, but not enough to keep it out of the junk pile.
Slag Fiend
Same thing, to a lesser extent. This one could actually be good, if you drop some mana artifacts early or something and you could end up with at least a 2/2 for 1, which is nice. Limited? No chance.
Slash Panther
It’s not quite as good as its counterparts, but it’s still a nice 4/2 haste for 4 or 5, and you can surprise someone with your U/B draft deck and smack them in the face with 4 damage.
Tormentor Exarch
Okay, so it’s a removal spell or a pump spell and a body. If you can remove something with it in limited, it’s good. Other than that it’s quite situational and overcosted.
Urabrask the Hidden
Whoo good mythic baby! 4/4 with haste, for 5, that makes all your dudes hasty. Good, yeah? It gets better. Your opponent’s creatures have antihaste. They can’t block until the turn after they drop. No more surprise blockers to mess up your plan it’s time to rock and rooooolllll. Great in limited, even better in Standard. This could signal the rise of a midrange R/X deck that I’ve been expecting for a while.
Victorious Distruction
It’s not Stone Rain. It’s not good, either. I guess it can kill artifacts, so it’s okay, but it’s not very good.
Volt Charge
3 for 3 is pretty nice in limited. The proliferate is kinda odd though. As a damage spell it’s solid though, at instant speed.
Vulshok Refugee
3 power for 3 mana, good. Prot red? Sweet in standard. I predict this will see play in the red mirror match. It’s also decent in limited too.
Whipflare
Unless you’re playing a lot of artifact dudes, this is probably worse than Pyroclasm. However, it’s still pretty good. In limited it could be solid too, and if Pyroclasm leaves then it’ll see play.

Overall: Pretty solid. Definitely fun. Sweet in limited.

Green

Beast Within
Well, somebody hates Jace. Enough to push the boundaries of the color pie. And give green stupid strong removal at uncommon.
Birthing Pod
I’m not certain I understand this card properly. It seems like you could make it good, but I’m not really sure I get it enough to do that. Someone help me out here.
Brutalizer Exarch
Okay, this one is even nastier on a Mimic Vat the problem is getting it there. 6 mana for a 3/3 is not going to cut it. Find me something interesting, I’m getting bored.
Chancellor of the Tangle
Okay, it’s a 6/7 vig, reach for 7, not horrid in limited. But not interesting. Also not good. BAD CYCLE.
Corrosive Gale
Bye bye baneslayer. This one’s definitely interesting. Every color can now kill that pesky angel without much trouble – 2 life is not a lot to pay compared to a 10-point life swing every combat. Plus it can wipe little flyer armies and kill that evasive stuff. Decent if situational in limited, but could be strong in Standard depending on the meta.
Death-Hood Cobra
Yeah, this is an interesting part here. This is such a good bear. I’m not sure whether Ashcoat Bear is better or not, but it’s one of those two. This one is less strong early, but is still relevant late game with deathtouch. The activated abilities make it not good enough for standard, but it’s a spectacular common in limited for green.
Fresh Meat
Cue the broken card siren. Why? Because this doesn’t say ‘nontoken’ anywhere on it. Eldrazi spawn, come here please. It’s like Caller of the Claw, but almost always better (it’s not an elf, hence the ‘almost’). It’s also in Standard, where it better see play or people are stupid.
Glissa’s Scorn
Can we call this a pingtrip or something? Tacking one damage onto a card doesn’t make it all that much better. This is strong in limited though, given the number of artifacts running around.
Glistener Elf
@#$% you whoever decided this was okay. One drop infect is NOT COOL. I hate you. You’re lucky someone put Rage Extractor in here.
Greenhilt Trainee If it has 4 power, just attack with it.
Leeching Bite
So green has all this removal now. It only kills X/1s, but that’s still good. And it can function as +2/+2 for one of your dudes against an opposing one too. Acceptable in limited.
Maul Splicer
Way expensive. Decent finisher maybe in limited, since it splits the bodies up, but still not great even as a common.
Melira, Sylvok Outcast
I almost cried when I read the third ability. Ah well. It still makes them hit you for 20 instead of 10, which most infect decks aren’t really capable of. Plus they’ve most likely already got a couple poison on when you drop her, so there’s more damage wasted. Solid in limited, situational sideboard in Standard depending on how popular infect is.
Mutagenic Growth
This is pretty scary if you’re not in green. In green it’s okay too. This will without question see tons of play in infect in Standard, since it’s a free pump spell.
Mycosynth Fiend
But it doesn’t have poison ?
Noxious Revival
No inherent card advantage but if whatever you’re returning took more than one card to kill, you have implied card advantage. If your opponent has no more removal, this can be a back-breaker especially at instant speed.
Phyrexian Swarmlord
Infect bomb. Total and immediate win if it’s not removed. End of story.
Rotted Hystrix
Boring. If I pull any of these I’m going to use them for firestarting.
Spinebiter
Okay, so if the opponent can’t block with a 4/x or an infect dude, this is a 6 power unblockable. For 6 mana. In green. Whoop! Solid infect body at uncommon. Too expensive for Standard though.
Thundering Tanadon
Um. Guys. Guys? You do realize that this gives blue a 5/4 trampler on turn 4? So good in every color. Trample is pretty rare in this set, so this is even more valuable. Plus with a Rage Extractor out it’s just gorgeous. Maybe even good enough for Standard. I know I’m going to play some in RageExtractor.dec.
Triumph of the Hordes
Come on. This is almost as bad as a 1-drop infecter. It doesn’t even have to go in an infect deck, but when it is trample, wow, power boost, wow, and it’s an uncommon. Shoot me now.
Viridian Betrayers
Odd 3/1, once it has infect it’s okay as long as your opponent doesn’t have anything to block with I guess.
Viridian Harvest
Good lifegain for a single mana and a single card, but it requires the artifact to hit the bin, which can be a challenge unless you build around it dun dun dun!
Vital Splicer
I like this cycle again with this one. 4 for 4 is nice in splashable green, and cheap colorless regenerate. Nice uncommon.
Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger
Well, I guess once you get out you have enough ramp to play it. No, I’m kidding, it’s better than that. In limited it’s a big body with trample and that shuts out your opponent’s mana, and in Standard? Well, if it gets cheated out early, your opponent is in for a world of pain. Not the best of the cycle but certainly not bad.

Overall: Yup, we’re doing pretty well by green.

Multicolor

Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer
Wait what? A non-mythic, non-planeswalker multicolored card?! Yay! Not only that, it’s good. You drop this turn 5 in a R/W metal build and you’re swinging for game. I’m planning to make a build around this at some point. It might not be the best card in the set, but I like it. In limited it makes your whole army happier. Plus, at 8 first-striking power? It beats everything dead.

Artifact

Alloy Myr
Wicked high pick in a draft, this thing fixes every color and has a not-horrid body attached to it. It’s also strong in sealed. Standard you have better fixers, probably – but who knows what we’ll have post-rotation?
Batterskull
Mythic living equipment, huh? It better be good. Don’t worry, it is. 5 mana for a 4/4 is strong for every color except green, but green doesn’t get vigilance, or lifelink. In limited this is a pure bomb, removal-resistant, efficient, and has the added bonus of being a piece of equipment. In Standard, this will be played in anything that wants a card that’s just a bit cheaper than Wurmcoil Engine but is still a hitter.
Blinding Souleater
This is worth splashing white for, I feel. It’s only a common but it can keep your opponent’s fatty tapped down the whole game. Out of color it’s a bit riskier, but still better than taking 6 a turn.
Caged Sun
It’s trying to be Gauntlet of Power, but it’s not cutting it. It does only help you, but it’s a 6-drop – at that point you want to be playing a finisher, not an enabler.
Conversion Chamber
This is a pretty cool little toy that, combined with a little proliferate, can be a nasty source of card advantage in limited. You just have to have one artifact in someone’s graveyard and a steady source of proliferate and you can pump out 3/3s all day. It’s sort of a mini Titan Forge.
Darksteel Relic
...yeah. Zero drop artifact, fuels metalcraft and stuff like that and if you can make it useful, it doesn’t really remove well. The question is whether its lack of function by itself will make it suboptimal and unplayable in constructed.
Etched Monstrosity
Yeah, mythic definitely doesn’t mean ‘money card’ anymore. Well, to be fair, it’s a 5/5 for 5, which isn’t awful, and there’s some ways to get those counters off with other cards, but unless you’re running all 5 colors it’s sorta subpar and all. Plus 3 cards isn’t a whole lot for 5 mana.
Gremlin Mine
This is rather an odd card. I haven’t really dug fully into limited with this set yet, so I’m not sure how good it will be – it could be an all-star, or it could be a dud.
Hex Parasite
Oh cool. Let’s kill Jace even more. Right now, every color except black (which has Vampire Hexmage) can side this and have a better matchup against that silly planeswalker and his silly friends. Hex Parasite is a fairly mana-intensive card, but it can be good – especially in green, which has little planeswalker kill and lots of mana.
Hovermyr
It’s a myr. It’s a 1/2. It costs 2 colorless. It has vigilance. It has flying. It’s a common. Draft it.
Immolating Souleater
This could be funny in limited, last-minute riskshot to kill someone with a firebreather, but it’s not that great. It’s an interesting quasicycle though.
Insatiable Souleater
This one is decent, sorta. A 5/1 for 4 is a stick to the face, but it has to hit. Trample is a bit odd on an X/1, too.
Isolation Cell
I feel like this costs too much to be great. By the time you drop it your opponent has enough mana to pay the extra two. It could be funny if they’re manascrewed though.
Kiln Walker
Well, if it’s attacking you like it a lot, as a 3/3 for 3 that goes in any deck. As a blocker it’s sort of iffy though. Still a solid body in limited.
Lashwrithe
Okay, having phyrex symbols on this is a bit odd since you’re only going to play it in heavy black but it’s GOOD. It’s like Nightmare but pretty much better. In mono it’s a 4/4 for 4 and it just gets fatter the longer the game goes. Plus as an added bonus it can sit on a Vampire Nighthawk or something and be real scary. Oh god on a Phyrexian Crusader shoot me now.
Mindcrank
This thing is backwards! You’re not going to make someone lose 50 life, they’re going to die first. If it was the other way around it would make mill good all of a sudden you just need to get 20 cards in the bin. It will see play maybe though as part of a jank combo with Bloodchief Ascension. In a draft it could be relevant, maybe, if you’re in a stall situation.
Mycosynth Wellspring
Well, this looks familiar. Manafixing is sweet in limited, and it could see play in Standard since it’s an artifact / for thinning.
Myr Superion
Joraga Treespeaker. Elves are good again, since a 5/6 on turn 2 is about as good as it’s ever been for something other than a combo deck. This thing is a huge body early on.
Necropouncer
Why? The casting cost is way too high. I’d trade a couple on the equip for a couple less on the casting cost. I guess once you get it out it’s decent (well, better than decent).
Omen Machine
Whut whut whut whuuut yay I love jank rares! Well, this one might see play too. It’s really, really odd, but it’s pretty funny. Notice that it doesn’t let you cast creatures and sorceries and enchantments and artifacts unless they have flash hehe. Just drop a Leyline of Flash, pump this out on turn 3 with a Grand Architect, and go nuts.
Pestilent Souleater
This one is good, though. It’s playable in all colors, but in infect it’s a sweet attacker and if it’s blocking something big you can drop some counters on it instead of just dying.
Phyrexian Hulk
Repriiint! A pretty good one too 5/4 for 6 is above average for 3 colors.
Pristine Talisman
Ehhh. Lifegain is a little weak. I guess it can let stuff drop a turn early, though, so for a common it’s not bad.
Shrine of Boundless Growth
Uncommon cycle here. A little iffy, too, in places. This one isn’t anything to write home about.
Shrine of Burning Rage
This one is decent though, either as removal or as a lategame killshot. Note that you can play it in any color.
Shrine of Limitless Power
By the time it’s got enough counters on it to do something they’ve spent their whole hand.
Shrine of Loyal Legions
Dudes are good in limited. If you leave the mana open to respond for removal this can be a nice thing to have hanging around for a while.
Shrine of Piercing Vision
This one is also good – it can find you the answer you need in limited, or maybe a tutor in Standard?
Sickleslicer
2/2 for 3 is good. Living weapon? Sign me up.
Soul Conduit
Well, pay a ton of life into a phyrexian mana activated ability, switch life totals, and win. Pretty simple. Jank rare, but might actually see play.
Spellskite
Oh hai, I see what you did thar. We put so much hose on your Jace that you wanted something to protect it with. A 0/4 is actually a decent wall too, for 2 mana in colorless. It’s a rare, though, so don’t expect it to be relevant in limited.
Surge Node
Well, it’s a bit odd, but I think you could do something interesting with it. There’s some candy that you can make with it. It’s a late pick, sure, but it can make your deck better.
Sword of War and Peace
And so we complete the 5-set, half-decade cycle. This one? This is an aggro sword. In the aggro mirror, this has very relevant protections, and that life swing from each hit is terribly valuable. The protections are also ludicrous against Boros. Expect this to see plenty of play, despite how much people don’t seem to like it.
Torpor Orb
Phyrexian Dreadnought. Primeval Titan. Pandemonium. This little guy messes with so many cards you have no idea. It might even see play in Standard given the titans right now.
Trespassing Souleater
2 life for 2 life? If you win the damage race, you win the damage race.
Unwinding Clock
As we wind down the set, we find this interesting little piece of funny. In limited, it gives all your artifact dudes functional vigilance. In casual? This goes in my Clock of Omens deck. Oh yeahh.

Overall: Whoop whoop. Lots of nice and relevant toys for me to play with.

Land

Phyrexia’s Core
Whoo, a little lifegain. Yay. Get me a real uncommon please.

Overall set: Pushing the envelope has never been better. This third set of a block has the potential to rip Standard wide open – I’m hoping for a return to the glory days of Rav/CS/TS Standard. There’s a ton of power here, at all rarities and in all colors. Definitely awesome. Limited is looking pretty fun too.

Well, that’s it! Thanks for bearing with my general insolence for an entire oh, we’re over 7000 words by now. Much thanks to squire1 for doing all the HTML stuff I’m not smart enough to know! Good luck at the prereleases and releases, and into a new Standard season!

-sporkife

(p.s. – if you discount the words in parentheses here, my original text had exactly 7500 words – a hundred for each card in a deck!)

dude1818 says... #1

A couple of anecdotes from my sealed prerelease the other day.

1) Porcelain Legionnaire won me a few games. It was fun to drop it turn two in my red/green deck.

2) Brutalizer Exarch did help when I needed my bomb, Hoard-Smelter Dragon .

3) One game, my opponent played a turn four Thundering Tanadon . I responded with card:Glissa's Scorn. A 2-drop for 5 damage? Awesome.

4) Blinding Souleater really helped stall while I was waiting for a good card, though hurt when I didn't draw the solitary Plains I had splashed.

5) Hex Parasite seemed like a good card, but I never drew it against an infect or planeswalker deck. It did shut down a Tumble Magnet , though.

May 8, 2011 8:24 p.m.

sporkife says... #2

from my weekend of sealed Porcelain Legionnaire and Vault Skirge were pretty balla for everyone who had one of them, and Blinding Souleater was MVP for my deck yesterday. I only saw one Hex Parasite both days and I didn't play against it.

yeah, Brutalizer Exarch can find you an answer, I'd just far rather have a card:Tezzeret's Gambit.

I didn't realize how light on artifact removal NPH actually is, card:Glissa's Scorn would have been playable if I had had any and had found playable green.

May 9, 2011 12:30 p.m.

Mpz5 says... #3

Nice article man. I don't even want to ask how long it took you to write.

May 9, 2011 8:38 p.m.

sporkife says... #4

thanks. haha well this was my break from studying for finals so it didn't feel like a long time

May 9, 2011 10:13 p.m.

Mpz5 says... #5

Got you, yea breaks are needed.

I have to disagree with your assessment of Caress of Phyrexia though. I think it will be the go to finisher for poison in standard. Most of the time in standard, the last 2 or 3 counters is what gives you problems... Problem solved for the same price as a slow blight dragon and it can't be GFTTed or Into the roiled. If you need it, you could even hit yourself for the card draw. Versatile me thinks.

I'm also pretty sure that you are wrong about Omen Machine . I'm thinking the it's restrictions only apply to stuff like Blizzard and Berserk that give certain situations that you can cast it in. I'm thinking Omen Machine works simmilar to cascade off an instant into a creature. If it fits the criteria, being cmc less than the cascade spell, it can be cheated out.

May 9, 2011 11:39 p.m.

dude1818 says... #6

I agree with Mpz5 about Omen Machine . As long as all targets are legal and all special restrictions and conditions are met, the spell is cast. This means that if the revealed card is, for example, Flesh Allergy (fun with Perilous Myr s, by the way), and you decide not to sacrifice a creature even if you can, the spell simply remains uncast in exile, correct?

May 10, 2011 12:07 a.m.

Siegfried says... #7

Yeah dude, Omen Machine only covers the mana cost, any additional cost to the spell has to be paid if you want to cast it.

sporkife, I agree so hardcore with you on Rage Extractor . My draft deck at the prerelease had Extractor, some Slash Panthers, some Thanodons, Act of Aggression, Ruthless Invasion, Porcelain Legionnaire and Phyrexian Metamorph. Once the extractor came down, if I didn't win in two turns I was doing something wrong.

I disagree with you on card:Apostle's Blessing. Any deck suddenly having one mana protection from whatever the hell they feel like? Finally a cheap way to frustrate Wurmcoil Engine players? I'll pick it. Forced Worship is incredibly versatile, given it has a way to avoid that awkward moment when you Pacifism your opponent's utility creature, only to watch them drop a mighty bomb. Oh, and in limited, Shrine of Burning Rage is a win con. Drop second turn, let it build while your opponent deals with your other threats, suddenly burn their face for 12. Works amazingly with Volt Charge .

May 10, 2011 3:56 a.m.

sporkife says... #8

yeah, I had Omen Machine wrong, didn't realize that until recently (after the article was already submitted).

Caress of Phyrexia I'm severely biased against because the only infect creatures I will ever play in any sanctioned, constructed event ever are Blightsteel Colossus because it's just a one-turn-faster-Darksteel Colossus , and Phyrexian Crusader because it's house against aggro. Other than that I unequivocally refuse to play infect, just on principle. Looking at it again it will probably see some play at least as an infect finisher for B/X infect.

card:Apostle's Blessing will probably see play in infect and some other fast aggro as quasiunblockable and as antiremoval but I don't think it's good enough for anything midrange to slow.

Limited-wise I discovered some new toys that I wasn't expecting. I played sealed both Saturday and Sunday. Forced Worship is naaaasty good in sealed, as are the red, white, and blue Shrines, Remember the Fallen (it once grabbed a Blinding Souleater and a Skinrender for me), Pith Driller is gnarly with all the 1-toughness dudes running around (definitely killed more than my fair share of Razor Swine and Lost Leonin with him), Spinebiter killed me both times my opponent played him, Gremlin Mine is also great (Remember the Fallen 'd for that a couple times too), and Pristine Talisman is both pretty solid ramp for decks with no green and can be consistent lifegain - over a 25 turn sealed game that life adds up.

May 10, 2011 12:56 p.m.

TopNotchDew says... #9

Chancellor of the Spires even though it seems meh, is actually a pretty decent card in limited (I pulled it and played with it both days of pre-release). Just think about it.

For the leyline ability you have to realize that most people are playing with 40 card decks. So if you happen to draw this guy initially, you have a pretty decent chance to knock out a bomb of your opponent's (about a 42% chance). This saved me from having to deal with a Karn and two Koths.

While it is a pain to get this guy out he does pose a pretty big threat when he hit the field. It is almost guaranteed that your opponent has thrown away some removal prior to this guy coming to light. So for seven you can get a 5/7 flying beat stick that also can potentially take out an opponents bomb (Crush , card:Glissa's Scorn, and card:Geth's Verdict are everywhere!). Yes it is very situational but i find that Chancellor of the Spires does have great potential in limited.

May 10, 2011 1:06 p.m.

zimek22 says... #10

I feel like no one is seeing the potential to combo with Glistening Oil you put it on Carnifex Demon and you have a 6/6 flying infect guy that acts as a mini Pestilence every turn how is that bad exactly?

May 11, 2011 12:26 p.m.

sporkife says... #11

@zimek22 the odds of pulling 2 specific rares in 3 packs each are very slim.

@TopNotchDew yeah, I noticed that playing sealed something with a 7 on the back end is really, really hard to get rid of - almost certainly going to need 2 cards.

May 11, 2011 4:50 p.m.

squire1 says... #13

@zimek22 - hey I wrote about that in my last article.

May 11, 2011 7:25 p.m.

peppyhare says... #14

@ topnotchdew, milling for 7 is a fairly pointless ability unless combined with other mill effects as a win-con. While you might occasionally remove epic bombs, you're equally likely to remove filler cards, so proportionally it doesn't help you at all. It also fills the graveyard, which can help your opponent if they're using recursion effects- Corpse Cur etc.

May 12, 2011 6:20 p.m.

JaceFace says... #15

Torpor Orb shuts down Caw-Blade so hard...

Squadron Hawk : um, no sorry you may not search up more...

Stoneforge Mystic : I'd rather you not search up SoFaF.

I am not surprised to see Jace/Caw-Blade hate, however I am surprised to see the amount of it.

Beast Within , Surgical Extraction , Despise , Hex Parasite , Torpor Orb , etc

May 13, 2011 5:11 p.m.

sporkife says... #16

The first time I saw Torpor Orb I couldn't read and almost had a heart attack because I thought it said 'permanents' and not 'creatures'...which would hose everything from Tumble Magnet to Jace, the Mind Sculptor . Then I learned to read and was disabused of that notion.

May 13, 2011 10:25 p.m.

dude1818 says... #17

Torpor Orb makes me lol. See my deck around it: ETB? What ETB?

May 13, 2011 11:44 p.m.

zimek22 says... #18

@squire1 I know it was a great article and i was talking about using it in standard iit seems pretty decent

May 18, 2011 12:06 a.m.

demoninwhite says... #19

Hmm, interesting article. Though your reviews of a lot of cards just fail completely (either undervaluing or overvaluing) and you seem to not know what an apostrophe is (which is intensely annoying). Overall however a good read, and interesting to get a different take on it from the likes of LSV and Conley Woods.

~ Acarna

July 16, 2011 1:19 p.m.

sporkife says... #20

For no apparent reason, all of the apostrophes and hyphens that I typed got lost somewhere between my word document and this page. They're all there in the original. This was written before I had actually played with any of the cards, making some of them a bit strange looking back.

July 16, 2011 2:56 p.m.

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