Potential sleepers you should hold onto
Standard forum
Posted on March 26, 2013, 1:22 p.m. by vila_a23
So me and my grinding buddy made a list of standard cards that just aren't holding their own at the top tables yet, but have tremendous potential on our way back from a ptq the other day. The list is as follows:
Master Biomancer . Who doesn't love when your Huntmaster of the Fells Flip turns into two 4/4's for 4 that gains you 2 life??? While the power of biomancer is very well known, does Thragtusk really need to be a 7/5? And do your Lingering Souls tokens really need to be 3/3's? The biomancer is possibly one of the strongest creatures to have in the creature mirror but forces you to extend into board sweepers. If you have a few, I would hold onto them because with magic becoming more and more creature based, having the bigger creatures is going to be a must,. Not to mention, could you imagine this guy paired with the new Gruul leader? Gross, the control player inside of me is dying inside right now.
Rubblebelt Raiders . I am playing this card in a R/G fight deck as we speak. It gets huge very fast and along with other beaters like Wolfir Silverheart , this guy can grow to a 10/10 or larger very fast. When Hellrider rotates out, I wouldn't be surprised if this card takes the spot of go to 4 drop.
Prime Speaker Zegana . prime speaker bant is the first archetype to play her maindeck but i still think she has more potential somewhere down the road. She almost reminds me of the titans just based on how powerful she is.
Treasury Thrull . This guy reminds me alot of Sun Titan . While its obvious that he is no titan, if the next set/ block provides some neat artifact or enchantment toys for this guy to bring back, I think you could be seeing him in some kind of control deck or as a late game recursion engine.
Rakdos, Lord of Riots . There is always something to be said for a 6/6 for 4. Assuming the Theros block has some huge mythological creatures like I hope it does, we could see a b/r or maybe even a 3-4 color fatty deck that uses this guy to cast them on the cheap side.
Assemble the Legion . This card is slowly creeping its way into the maindecks of top tier decks however, I still think it is ok to consider this card a sleeper as with Prime Speaker Zegana . I have a feeling that this card is going to be matchup defining, if not even format defining in the near future. What's the best way to deal with this card? Well if you don't want to pack an Acidic Slime or two, i would suggest stockpiling Izzet Staticaster s.
So that's it. There are a few other creatures from outside of the RTR block such as Deadeye Navigator , but with rotation coming up soon, I feel it is better to just talk about the ravnica sleepers. What do you guys think? Do you agree or disagree with my choices?
Agreed, I have already been trading into as many Assemble the Legion s and Rubblebelt Raiders as I can. The other card I have chosen to stock up on is Firemane Avenger for the same reason as Rubblebelt Raiders . Raiders effectively replaces Hellrider for the RG decks, and Avenger does the same for the RW decks. I also see her as about the most efficient flier around after Restoration Angel and Vampire Nighthawk rotate. And hey, even if Nighthawk doesn't rotate, she can still attack through him with Battalion, which most fliers can't do.
March 26, 2013 2:12 p.m.
blackdragonetm says... #4
I have a feeling Guardian of the Gateless is gonna see some play against control mirrors and against aggro.between that guard and Izzet Staticaster you have yourself a very solid defense base for token decks running Assemble the Legion
March 26, 2013 5:36 p.m.
Assemble the Legion is a good sideboard card in the control mirror match, and that's about it.
Deathrite Shaman , while not really a "sleeper," is going to be the card out of RtR that jumps in price. He's right up there with Tarmogoyf and Dark Confidant for creatures in terms of power. Liliana of the Veil is probably the best planeswalker ever printed, behind Jace, the Mind Sculptor .
The reason I bring up Liliana of the Veil and Deathrite Shaman is because of their ability to change formats. Master Biomancer and Prime Speaker Zegana are about the only cards on that list that come close to meeting that criteria. Rubblebelt Raiders dies to a plethora of cards before it can attack, versus Hellrider jumping out while the opponent is tapped out.
Treasury Thrull is too expensive for its power and toughness. At six mana, I'm looking to cast spells like Merciless Eviction , not wait a turn before my 4/4 does something.
Rakdos, Lord of Riots is cool, but his four, colored mana symbols mean he has a hard time fitting into three color decks, something we'll see plenty more of while shock lands are in standard. I don't see Jund or Grixis aggro using the guy. Honestly, I think we'll see more Desecration Demon before we see more of him.
March 26, 2013 11:54 p.m.
Everyone knows Deathrite Shaman
will jump in price, especially after his print run completely stops.
I don't think we're talking big-time financial hits here. I think we're talking about moderate value gains in which you can presumably stock up on a single item in droves and sell them or trade them off later at a minimum of 400% appreciation. Assemble the Legion
, Prime Speaker Zegana
, and Master Biomancer
are all probably beyond that point already, though.
As far as playability, I'm pretty sure we're talking post-rotational value. Having no prior knowledge of the next set's actual cards, I think vila_a23 has made reasoned arguments. I especially value Assemble the Legion quite highly as a possible card to combine with Collective Blessing and/or Trostani, Selesnya's Voice after rotation if the format slows down, which is why I'm aggressively trading into them, even though the price is still currently rising.
March 27, 2013 12:24 a.m.
Collective Blessing won't see much play after rotation except in EDH and casual games. The mana cost is way too high. That slot is going to Armada Wurm in G/W. Trostani, Selesnya's Voice isn't bad, but her value already peaked and then went back down. Maybe she'll go to $8, but her price at $5 seems stable.
400% appreciation is a lot. We're talking about Assemble the Legion going from $2 to $8~10. It's just not going to happen. If I had to put my finger on a few cards besides the ones I've already mentioned, it'd be Mystic Genesis and Divine Deflection .
March 27, 2013 1:29 a.m.
That's why I excluded Assemble the Legion
for financial value. There isn't any value to be made there beyond playability because its price has already doubled since release because of recent demand. It will at most rise from the current $2 mark to $4, which is marginal value. Still, it's very playable in several decks, which makes it a good card to hold on to if it becomes a staple for control or token decks in the future.
Also, Collective Blessing is already seeing play in Prime Speaker Bant lists, whereas Armada Wurm is completely absent from the competitive scene. I don't see that changing, especially if the core set and Theros continue to provide a healthy supply of mana dorks or token makers.
March 27, 2013 1:54 a.m.
detentionsphere says... #9
Assemble the Legion sees sideboard play. Prime Speaker Zegana sees a ton of play in Prime Speaker Bant. Treasury Thrull and Master Biomancer COULD have potential (probably not), but the rest are unplayable. Rubblebelt Raiders doesn't have haste (which is huge in aggro - you want your four-drops to immediately end the game), doesn't have an ETB effect, and dies to every removal on the planet other than Ultimate Price . Rakdos, Lord of Riots ... well, let's just say I have drafted this card and been extremely dissapointed in it. Again, 4-drop, no haste, no ETB, no protection (at least it doesn't die to Searing Spear ), and with a very relevant drawback that makes it a terrible late-game topdeck.
March 27, 2013 3:26 a.m.
Assemble the Legion is such an amazing enchantment to kill off your opponents. I don't see it being more than 1$ ever, but I would pick it up just because this card is really good. Putting in X dudes equal to your muster counters? Okay, now I play Sublime Archangel, and ill ugh hit you ftw. Prime Speaker, I have won countless games as soon as she etb. If it's not countered, you just drew a sphinx's rev, tusks, restos. Its so good, and hopefully a Reliquary Tower that no one seems to use, im sorry, but I like having all my cards in hand past 7, I want to play all my cards. =) I deff see Gideon going up, but we have to see from Dragons Maze and M14.
March 27, 2013 11:23 a.m.
How about Descent into Madness after someone figures out how to break it?
March 27, 2013 12:42 p.m.
@Apoptosis: I've seen a few $T4ks-type decks floating around that use it to some success, but the mana cost is keeping it from seeing competitive play.
March 27, 2013 5:10 p.m.
For me it depends on what you mean by "potential" sleepers.
If you mean that they just need to be looked at differently, then there aren't many... most have been fairly thoroughly looked at and considered.
If you mean that with new expansions, there is potential to 'realistically' expect cards that might help 'break' it... then I would have to say that Rakdos, Lord of Riots fits. - Right now, we have few, if any, playable artifact creatures.... if there were 3-4 good 2-3 drop artifact creatures, or even a few with unique ETB effects, then being able to cast them for free on T4-5 would be powerful. - Imagine, you attack, and deal 3 damage (or even a 3 dmg spell). Cast Rakdos, then you can (on the same turn), dump your hand full of 3CMC Artifact creatures.
I don't see this as likely in Dragon's Maze, as a small set within a multi-colour block isn't likely to have a lot of artifact creatures, but the possibility exists.
Treasury Thrull jsut doesn't have enough "Umph!" behind it. The similar titan ability was only good because it brought the permanent into play... into hand isn't that great.
The obvious one to me is Chromatic Lantern ... unless they reprint all the land currently in both the Innistrad block and M13 in M14, then there will be a gap in the mana base for some of the current decks. - Having only one type of dual land, and having to take damage if you want to use it right away is not the best/enough for all the fast multi-color currently in use.
Demarge says... #2
1-3 I disagree with, 1 and 3 due to my definition of sleeper cards (a card that doesn't actively appear in good decks yet), and I disagree with your 2 due to Ghor-Clan Rampager and even Deadbridge Goliath being overall better creatures.
March 26, 2013 2:11 p.m.