April 2016: Shadows over Innistrad
Spoilers, Rumors, and Speculation forum
Posted on Oct. 31, 2015, 6:42 p.m. by JWiley129
Announced during GP Indy, the Spring 2016 set is Shadows over Innistrad!
Edits for FAQ:
- Here is Mark Rosewater on why we're getting two returns in a row.
If it was an X spell that let you return X cards that would be pretty amazing, as usually alot in the grave later in the game just isn't relevant anymore, like ramp, and utility creatures that may have outlived their usefulness. The main place this one falls down is in something like elves where the curve is low. Like you say, Pod and Yisan, the Wanderer Bard love it. Maybe there are decks that want all 3 spells too i guess
March 24, 2016 3:49 a.m.
6CMC situational card advantage... seems, "Meh!"
I certainly see the appeal for Commander.
...and I suppose with a Ramp strategy it could be okay.
But it's certainly not the 
Mythic I was hoping to see.
I will say, it would work well with Kozilek, the Great Distortion. - Discard cards to counter spells of various CMCs... get them back again, and be ready to counter spells of every CMC.
March 24, 2016 7:37 a.m.
...Oh, and you can use Cellar Door + another Regrowth effect to keep repeating the card.
March 24, 2016 7:39 a.m.
I guess you can get like a land, a dork, a dork, eternal witness, a threat, a bigger threat, an even bigger threat etc.
It's probably not for standard but in EDH it seems very powerful.
March 24, 2016 7:40 a.m.
So, why does the Vessel of Nascency not just say "permanent card" rather than listing all permanent cards?
March 24, 2016 7:47 a.m.
Ups, sorry, forget what I said, only now I read properly.
March 24, 2016 7:50 a.m.
Rayenous I'd guess it's for the off-chance that they create another permanent type in the future. Even if there's no plan to, they might word cards like that simply to keep the possibility open.
March 24, 2016 7:53 a.m.
That's probably a bad idea though... if they create another permanent type, you'd expect that they would want effects like this to be able to get them as well.
You'd have thought they'd learned a lesson after cards like Nevinyrral's Disk and Pernicious Deed... which, if they were designed today, would be worded "each non-land permanent".
March 24, 2016 7:59 a.m.
I've posed the question to MaRo on blogatog. - We'll have to wait and see if he answers.
March 24, 2016 8:17 a.m.
Got another card that works with Prized Amalgam-
Stitchwing Skaab 
Creature - Zombie Horror
Flying
, Discard two cards: Return Stitchwing Skaab to from your graveyard to the battlefield tapped.
2/3
March 24, 2016 8:33 a.m.
So basically Zombie tribal has been given reanimation based effects (mostly with themselves)- Relentless Dead, Stitchwing Skaab, Geralf's Masterpiece, Prized Amalgam. And then other cards care about what you have in your grave, like Diregraf Colossus.
March 24, 2016 8:37 a.m.
GoldGhost012 says... #14
So the set has 18 mythics (15 regular and 3 DFC) and 59 rares (53 regular and 6 DFC).
March 24, 2016 9:07 a.m.
EverythingIsK says... #15
I remember him saying within the last two weeks of questions that if he created a new card type, it'd be a permanent, as they would have the most design space.
March 24, 2016 9:12 a.m.
1 more Rare DFC left:
1 
- (name unknown)
12 more Common/Uncommon:
1 
- Town Gossipmonger
2 
- Accursed Witch - Kindly Stranger
4 - Convicted Killer - Gastaf Arsonists - Kessig Forgemaster - Skin Invasion
4 - Autumnal Gloom - Hermit of Natterknolls - Lambbolt Pacifist - Solitary Hunter
1 Artifact - Harvest Hand
March 24, 2016 9:26 a.m.
hopefully the rare DFC is legendary and werewolf flavoured!!
March 24, 2016 9:49 a.m.
EverythingIsK says... #18
Skin invasion sounds like it could be another instant/ sorcery with a flip clause.
March 24, 2016 9:51 a.m.
TheFoilAjani says... #19
Maybe I've been thinking about this wrong the whole time; maybe "Skin Invasion" isn't a parasite that invades someone's skin/body. Maybe it's a wave of flesh and meat that rolls across Innistrad that "invades" towns. That might be a little more of black's thing though.
March 24, 2016 9:58 a.m.
I'm expecting Skin Invasion (as well as Autumnal Gloom) to be an Enchantment...
I wouldn't expect them to release a Mythic, unique, ability like that on one card... make a lot of hype over it... and then a week later go, "By the way, there's a common with that ability as well."
If it is a spell, I'm thinking a Act of Treason effect.
March 24, 2016 9:58 a.m. Edited.
Yeah... I'm curious how it can be red flavour.
"Skin which is invading" - Black
"Parasite invading someones skin" - Green
"Using someones skin to elusively invade" - Blue
March 24, 2016 10:02 a.m.
Oh my.... the artwork on Act of Treason!
They foreshadowed SoI's angel rebellion in Origins.
March 24, 2016 10:05 a.m.
Creeping Dread is interesting...
Immediately thought of 8-Rack (all discards effects tend to do that).
Then I realized that I usually don't have cards during my upkeep, so I'd never deal the extra 3 damage... Not sure if it makes it unplayable (though the 4CMC probably does).
Maybe a budget replacement for Liliana of the Veil for new players getting into 8-Rack?
March 24, 2016 10:42 a.m.
...Except, if you ramp into it, you'll have a 6CMC 4/4 or 5/5.
Not that impressive... but okay, I guess. It get's bigger.
I really don't like that it has Reach. - Defensive ability on an aggressive creature type? - Should have been Trample... or, if it had to be defensive, at least give it Vigilance.
March 24, 2016 10:49 a.m.
The Madness ability on 'From Under the Floorboards' is nice.
The 'enters tapped' that often accompanies 2/2 Zombie tokens is sometimes too much of a downfall to make it playable. Opponent gets a full turn to find a way to deal with them. - This, with a discard ability, allows you to cast it at the end of your opponents turn, untapping them right away, and getting to swing.
March 24, 2016 10:52 a.m.
Hydra seems nice. Turn 4 playable.
and Rayenous, at turn 4 he would actually be a 7/7.
Turn 1: Land and stare
Turn 2: Land into Deathcap Cultivator
Turn 3: Land into Explosive Vegetation
Turn 4: Land into Ulvenwald Hydra; ETB trigger get a land.
That's seven lands on the battlefield. A 7/7 with Reach on turn 4 doesn't seem bad to me in the slightest.
March 24, 2016 11:18 a.m.
I wish Ulvenwald Hydra fetched two lands. Would make a decent imitation of Primeval Titan in EDH.
March 24, 2016 11:21 a.m.
Even if you miss the turn 4 land drop it's still a turn 4 6/6.
Granted turn 4 you could be playing things like Dragonlord Atarka if you hit the land drop. But it's still good. And it will scale in a true ramp deck.
March 24, 2016 11:22 a.m.
...with the best/ultimate hand, and no interaction from your opponent.
In many cases, this won't be how it works out.
Reliably, it can be viewed as a 5/5. - When played early... later it can be quite large. But I wouldn't rely on it as a win-con.
March 24, 2016 11:23 a.m. Edited.
I mean the only real reaction is kill shroomie. People don't typically interfere with lands in Standard. They're too busy setting up their own board. And they won't typically counter ramp spells when they'd rather just counter the thing you're trying to play. R.I.P Mistcutter Hydra.
Three lands, Shroomie, Vegetation, and of course your Hydra.
Not that hard to achieve over four turns.
March 24, 2016 11:31 a.m.
VampireArmy - I think more appropriately, miracle is a slightly OP madness. Madness was around first after all.
March 24, 2016 12:12 p.m.
ducttapedeckbox says... #36
Cmon more spoilers! I need to be occupied during class...
March 24, 2016 12:12 p.m.
ducttapedeckbox - There should be a few more today.
Still 1 DFC Rare and 2 normal Rares to be spoiled.
With full spoilers due for tomorrow we should, at least, get the rest of the rares.
March 24, 2016 12:28 p.m.
PistonGolem says... #38
For me, tomorrow is a day off from school. TIME TO STUDY LIMITED!
March 24, 2016 12:28 p.m.
Ugh. Ulvenwald Hydra is both the worst mythic in the set and the worst hydra WotC has printed in recent memory. One of the reasons I love hydras is their abilities tend to be really creative, but this one's so bland it might as well be a vanilla 6/6. On top of that, it's clunky to ramp into, doesn't go well with mana dorks and Fertile Ground-style enchantments, the land it brings into play doesn't help immediately and it doesn't even have trample. Junk mythic detected.
March 24, 2016 12:28 p.m.
I know people that would disagree, square711. Nonbasic land tutor is powerful, and certain people have been bemoaning Hydra's lack of reach for a while. Although I do agree is seems to be strange for a hydra, it doesn't double...
March 24, 2016 12:32 p.m.
square711: Seems much more useful than Nessian Wilds Ravager.
March 24, 2016 12:43 p.m.
Would rather play Ulvenwald than any of these hydra. Being a little overdramatic here square711.
March 24, 2016 12:48 p.m.
Nessian Wilds Ravager is good in EDH.Id play them both in edh as 6 mana drops. Looking at a hydra focused deck.
March 24, 2016 12:54 p.m.
EverythingIsK says... #44
I called it that the green mythic would be very Meh. :>
March 24, 2016 12:58 p.m.
It's not much better than Nessian Wilds Ravager - It's either going to be a 12/12 or a 6/6 and removal spell... This one is typically going to 5/5 to 7/7, and fetches a land (i'd usually rather have removal).
This only has 'Reach' and the fact that your opponent doesn't make a choice as things in it's favour. - Not enough difference to make it a Mythic.
The only thing that may make this playable in Standard is that it is played along side a 'land matters' set. That's all... so now Wizards is using Mythic slots for 'overlap card'.
I mean, it doesn't even fit well, flavour wise, in Innistrad.
March 24, 2016 12:59 p.m.
mymanpotsandpans says... #46
Ulvenwald Hydra can trade with or kill almost every creature spoiled so far other than a max Geralf's Masterpiece or a flipped Thing in the Ice as a 6/6 for 6. And with a few more lands it can beat all of them. Other creatures that can grow larger and or faster don't have reach. It is a bomb as mythic and deserves to be so. Not every mythic needs to be modern-vintage playable.
March 24, 2016 1:05 p.m.
Also note:
Almost all Mythic Hydras have had some way to assist in getting damage through to your opponent ('Direct Damage', 'Go Wide', 'Trample', 'Protection', 'Removal'). - Until now.
The exceptions being:
- M10 Protean Hydra, which was dropped in rarity to Rare when printed M11.
- Savageborn Hydra - Also viewed as a bad Mythic, and at least had an offensive ability of Double Strike rather than the defensive Reach.
March 24, 2016 1:11 p.m.
This hydra is great with Titania, Protector of Argoth or Gitrog Monster Commander. It's also great in Limited.
March 24, 2016 1:12 p.m.
Fetching any land instead of just a basic is pretty good.
MindAblaze says... #1
Thank you maiden77. Sometimes I say things I don't mean just to have other people make my point. It's a situational recursion spell that requires some set up beyond just playing the game. In a pod-style edh deck, sure. It will see play, but it has competition for the job for sure.
March 24, 2016 3:23 a.m.